


Renegades in a Ring (The Greatest Showman AU)

by TrenchCoatHamilham



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Marco Bott, Alternate Universe - No Titans (Shingeki no Kyojin), Angst and Fluff and Smut, But he's a ray of sunshine too, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Character's Name Spelled as Jaeger, Eren Is a Little Shit, Eventual Levi/Eren Yeager, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hanji just being Hanji, I Don't Even Know, I promise, Inspired by The Greatest Showman (2017), It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Levi's kind of a softie, Levi's parents - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith, Nice Kenny Ackerman, OOC (Out of Character) Levi, One-Sided Levi/Erwin Smith, Platonic Hange Zoë & Levi, Poor Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Rated for Levi's Language (Shingeki no Kyojin), Rich Eren Yeager, Tags Are Hard, We'll get to the smut sooner or later, but it gets happier, early 1900's, sad beginning, the greatest showman au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-08 07:18:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15925562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrenchCoatHamilham/pseuds/TrenchCoatHamilham
Summary: Levi Ackerman has been dreaming of creating a spectacle for the people, with sparkling lights and magnificent costumes. The only problem is he and his mother work for the wealthy Jaeger family as glorified tailors, living on a few measly pennies. Once Levi's mother dies, the young man has to make a living in the dirty, unforgiving streets of Sina. As Levi gathers money, he thinks that he can make his dream a reality, but a rich brat keeps killing those dreams while creating his own grand theatres and plays. When the emerald-eyed boy confronts Levi about hosting a show together, Levi must choose between shooing this strangely familiar rival away, or kissing him from the joy that he finally got his dream job- or because of his charming smile and shirt collar, that seems to be giving Levi a front-seat view of the man's chiseled, tanned chest...





	1. A Sudden Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This fanfic was written solely for entertainment purposes! I DO NOT own the characters and setting of Attack on Titan or The Greatest Showman.  
> ***BL WARNING***  
> If you are offended by LGBTQ relationships, then please disregard continuing this fanfic!  
> ALSO CONTAINS: character death/injury, profanity   
> Now that you've (hopefully) read the warnings, I wish you happy reading!

The smell of wood and sweat flooded Levi’s nose as he stood below the seats surrounding the ring. The audience stomped their feet together making the wooden boards above Levi creak, led by the group of performers in front of them. As they all cheered, Levi struck a pose- perfectly positioned to excite the audience. 

Lights flashed, hooves pounded, and the people stomped. A magnificent collection of sight and sound, all right there before his eyes. 

One last thump from the audience and Levi took a breath, running out from under the wooden seats. 

The viewers in the bleachers seemed to hold their breath as the performers froze in place. It looked as if they were all paused in a movie, about to get back in motion, twirling, flying, dancing… 

Levi stood in the center and ruffled his red velveteen cape, drawing attention to himself. Several pairs of eyes met him as he drew another breath. 

“Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for.” 

*****

Levi opened his eyes. To his disappointment, there were no lights. There were no performers in sparkling costumes, or herds of people all looking at him.  


There was only a dirty, disgusting ceiling.  


The raven sat up and looked around. It was still dark outside- Levi couldn’t see any light coming in through the cracks on the door.  


Waking up in the middle of the night wasn’t uncommon for him, though, ever since his mother was less capable of doing work.  


They didn’t choose this life, but it was all they could afford with the job they worked together. All his life, he’s lived in this poor excuse for a home- four flimsy walls, a creaky floor, a small table and an old bed that barely fit two people. He took up only a third of it, and the rest of the bed was occupied by his mother.  


Every day she seemed to be getting even thinner…  


It was routine for Levi to check on her when he woke up to make sure she wasn’t dead. He always had to know if he was still with someone- with a living human being. She was the only thing that was keeping him going in this life.  


Levi rolled over in the bed, moving up next to his mother. Whenever he did this, the raven took a sharp breath before checking her pulse.  


The raven let out a sigh of relief as he felt a faint rhythm. Very faint- but still there.  


He stepped out of his stained bed. The old floorboards creaked as he walked over to the other side of the bed where his mother was lying. Positioning his head over hers, he kissed her forehead.  


“Don’t fucking die here with me. You’re going to see another day, mother.”  


A tear fell down his cheek as the raven grabbed his mother’s thin, skeletal hand. He held it gently in fear that her fragile bones would break in his grasp.  


Levi stopped himself from bawling there by her side. He slid into the small space next to his mother, lying between her arm and her chest.  


Every day could be her last. Right now, the most important thing was to spend all available time with his mother before she passed away. It was the least Levi could do.  


This time, Levi couldn’t hold back the flood of tears. He whimpered quietly by his mother’s side, letting her know that someone still cared about her- unlike the man who had left them to die in the streets. Levi was ashamed to know that this horrible being was his father.  


The only thing he had was his mother, now. That man wasn’t important anymore. Neither was his mother’s tear-soaked nightgown.  


He'd have to go to work tomorrow- with or without his mother.  


This was the last thought that went through the raven’s despairing mind before he fell into a dark, dreamless slumber.  


Levi didn’t notice when the human next to him had started to wheeze until they let out their last breath. Not one soul knew about the last words of Kuchel Ackerman.  


In the quiet cloak of night, nobody heard the words being uttered in a weak, raspy voice.  


“This was a mista…”

*****

The rattle of wheels against metal tracks woke Levi with a jolt. The sun was streaming in through cracks in the door, shining directly on his face. It was warm.  


Unlike the body curled around him.  


Levi’s blood ran cold. Tears started to well up in his eyes, but the raven forced himself not to cry again. Slowly, Levi turned his head to the side to catch a glimpse of his mother. His heart pounded until he saw her face. Then it skipped a beat.  


His mother’s face was extremely thin and pale. Her cheekbones stood out razor-sharp against her papery skin. Her eyes were sunken in, and her lips had almost disappeared, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.  


Levi couldn’t scream.  


Realization swept over him as he jumped out of the bed. His legs were shaking, and his vision was swimming, Levi covered his eyes to take it all away- his mother’s illness, her rotting corpse, his father’s betrayal…  


But you can only hide for so long.  


Shaking train cars thundered on the road. They filled the terrifying silence with a loud hum that only added noise to Levi’s panicked state. He kept trying to forget this- to forget what cannot be undone.  


His mother was dead.  


A sudden thud from the train passing by his house brought him back to the present situation. His mother had died, and there was no way to reverse it.  


His eyes still wide with shock, the raven remembered his choice from last night.  
He'll have to go to work with or without his mother.  


Levi put together an outfit that made him look fairly presentable- a large white dress shirt, brown tweed vest, and some black dress pants. It was enough to not look like a sewer rat. The raven slung his mother’s small handbag around his shoulder. The bag contained some money and the things his mother used for work- thread, fabric, sewing supplies... that'd be enough to get by for a couple of days, even on the streets, and give him a chance at earning some more money. After all, he was 23 and could look after himself. Levi dug around in the bag a bit more, but there wasn’t anything valuable around their house to put in there or keep, anyway.  


With a heavy sigh, the raven looked back at the corpse on the bed.  


“I’ll be back, mother. I have to go meet Kenny at the station or I’ll miss the train.”  


He tightened his grip around the bag’s straps. He’d be back for sure. Who knows- maybe he’d be a changed man by the time he returned. He could be a better person. Or he could be a gang leader. 

Or a thief.  


Either way, Levi knew he would be changing quickly, for better or for worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! Please comment (I appreciate constructive criticism) and leave some kudos!


	2. Acquaintances

Levi was on his way to Sina Ground station. The raven walked along the crowded streets, pretending he didn’t just see the dead body of his mother. The people around him didn’t care if he was sad, anyways. All they knew was that he was on his way to somewhere important. Levi had to get to the station as soon as possible- he had no use for small talk with strangers.  


He no longer had the need to look at where he was going- the raven had the path memorized. He’d walked on the same path to and from work for over 10 years. Nothing ever changed; Kenny always stood in the same spot at the station. Levi always rushed to get to his job. His mother always came with him on weekends...and he always walked quietly, glaring at anyone who got in his path, besides Izzy and Farlan, of course. They were Levi’s best friends.  


And his only friends.  


Farlan had been a friend to Levi ever since he could remember. The blond boy was always catching him unaware while walking to the station, and got attached to him once they started walking together. It was a slight nuisance, but at least Levi had someone to talk to for a bit.  


Isabel, on the other hand, popped up out of nowhere. She had greeted Levi the same way Farlan had every day, grabbing him by the shoulders and giggling. Of course, the raven had suspected Farlan to be there, but was instead greeted by a smiling, red-haired girl with pigtails.  


And she seemed like the most optimistic person in the world.  


She accompanied him each day on his walk to the train station, talking to Farlan every once in a while. Soon, they became inseparable. Every day on the walks to and from the station, Levi, Farlan, and Izzy would talk until they reached their destinations. Levi always had two amazing friends who could always keep him company.  


Today, though, they had noticed that something was off.  


“Levi!”  


Izzy’s high-pitched squeal didn’t make him turn around this time. He didn’t want to interact with people today. Levi glared at the redhead.  


“Levi, don’t be so mean to Isabel. You know she’s still young and needs positive attention.”  


Farlan was also there… Levi knew it would be hard to get rid of them now.  


“Isabel is 15, Farlan. I think she’s old enough to take care of herself. Even though she has a breakdown every time someone teases her...”  


Izzy was already tearing up after Levi’s ignorant behavior. She was about to burst into tears, but the raven patted her on the shoulder and apologized before the redhead could make a scene.  


“So, why are you walking down the street so sadly, without your mother around? Today is Saturday, right?” The golden-haired boy seemed like he was very interested in hearing his answer.  


Levi bowed his head down. “There was an accident with Mother at home. She won’t be coming to work with me over the weekend. She can’t work this week, but I still need to make money.”  


“Wow, Levi. So that’s why you look like you rolled in dirt. We’re really sorry to hear that about your mother...right, Isabel?” Farlan elbowed Isabel, who was staring at a stray cat rummaging in a trash can. Levi also turned to look at the cat. It was jet black, with narrow, slate-gray eyes that demanded respect.  


It reminded Levi of himself.  


Isabel seemed distracted while responding to Farlan’s teasing. ’“Oh… yes. We’re sorry to hear that. What was “that” again?”  


“God, Isabel. Pay attention to something for once! Levi’s mother had an accident and she can’t go to work with him this weekend.”  


The raven was feeling a bit guilty about not telling his friends the truth, but he couldn’t risk worrying them.  


“Oh, Levi! You should take the day off and take care of your mother!”  


Levi knew this was coming.  


“I can’t Izzy. I need to make money to afford food for today. You know none of us are very rich.”  


“But your mom…” Isabel pouted.  


“She’ll get the medical attention she needs once I can afford it. Now don’t worry so much about me, Izzy.”  


She looked up at him, frustrated, but slowly shuffled over to Farlan’s side. The blond started comforting Levi after Izzy’s pleading.  


“Levi, if this is going to affect you too much, just come over to our places. We can lend you something if you need it.”  


“Thanks, Farlan. But I’d like to be left alone for a while to get through this. I also have to get to the little brat’s house before his father yells at me for looking like I just crawled out of the sewers.”  


“Ah, yes. Nobody wants Grisha Jaeger to scold them. I hear he’s like the Devil.”  


Izzy suddenly got excited. “What about the little rich boy you keep talking about, Levi? Is he doing well? Are his emerald-green eyes still the sparkliest things you’ve ever seen?”  


Levi had told Izzy and Farlan all about the young, wealthy brat whose father he worked for. Of course, he described the child in great detail- including his mesmerizing green eyes. Isabel was interested in him, especially since they were about the same age.  


“Yes, Izzy. His eyes are beautiful, and he is very happy and healthy. Now let me go to work!” Levi ruffled the girl’s hair. “I need to see him now… and you need to go to school, Isabel!”  


“Ok, Levi! Stop telling me what to do and visit your beautiful brat!”  


The words made Levi blush. The kid was beautiful, indeed, but he was very annoying, earning himself the nickname “shitty brat”, but the raven hated to use the name in front of Isabel.  


“And take care of yourself, okay, Levi?” Farlan was usually concerned about the raven, knowing his family’s struggles. Farlan also had financial problems at home, but had a good job as a paperboy. Their routes collided in the mornings and afternoons, giving them some time to talk. After they met Isabel, Farlan’s family adopted the orphaned girl as their own. He and Levi were like brothers to the redhead, and she looked up to them.  


Farlan was waving to him along with Izzy, who was now jumping up and down.  


“I’ll make sure to stay safe and visit Eren. You two really don’t have to worry so much about me, though. I’m fine.” Levi almost believed the lies he told his friends. He felt himself breaking as he once again realized the truth.  


He waved back to them without a smile. Levi couldn’t forget reality, but they were great people and knew how to bring some happiness into his life and add some spice to his carefully planned-out days.  


Once again, the raven lowered his head and was on his way to Sina Ground Station.“Hey, shortie! You’re late!”  


Kenny’s familiar scratchy voice made him look up. Even if Farlan and Isabel had cheered him up, Levi still didn’t want to hold a long conversation with someone.  


“Kenny, is the train here?”  
“No, not yet. Where’s Kuchel?”  
“She was in an… accident. I decided to go to work anyways. She’ll be able to handle it for now.”  


“What kind of accident was she in?”  
Here was the moment he was waiting for.  
“She…”  


Levi’s thoughts didn’t form sentences. They all melted and turned into sadness, which poured out of his eyes like a rainstorm. Why was he crying so much? He’s been through worse, right?  


“Oh god.” Kenny walked up to him and put his hand on Levi’s shoulder. He wasn’t the best at comforting people, but wanted to help the poor soul.  


“Was she bleeding a lot when she got hurt?”  
Levi shook his head.  
“Then is she dead?”  


The raven looked Kenny right in the eyes and nodded slowly.  


“Fuck. I’m gonna go check on her to see what I can do... I don’t want your house smelling like a rotting corpse.”  
“Thank you,” Levi croaked.  


“No need to, short stack.” Kenny left his side, and began to jog away from the station platform. “Get on the train and head to Lord Jaeger’s place. I don’t think you can afford a day off work. Don’t get lost without me!” His large hat flopped as he ran away.  


Levi let his tears dry on his face. He nodded, turning around and heading towards the train, which had now stopped and was ready for boarding. The raven stepped onto the raised floor, finding a seat amidst the crowded car. He plastered a disinterested look on his face, turned towards the window, and fell into his black hole of thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you know, I probably won't be updating this soon the rest of the time. Please comment and leave a kudos! Thx!


	3. Just Visiting

Levi had recently gotten off of the train, stopping at Shiganshina Station, and walked from there to the Jaeger estate.  


The raven started down the cement pathway towards the large, gray mansion that stood before him. It was on a hill, and he could never afford a carriage. At least he got a good workout, though.  


The shock of this morning began to fade away as he neared the Jaeger mansion. Soon, he’d get to see Eren, smiling and being the brightest in the room. The brat could always make him forget about everything that went wrong in his life. Just feeling those fiery green eyes on the back of his head was enough to make him shiver. When Eren talked for hours on end about owning his father’s property, it was really fucking annoying. But it made Levi happy to see Eren so passionate about something- the only things Eren liked was playing absurd new sports, one of which he named “hockey”, talking too much, and learning about how rich his father was. The brat was actually very skilled in rough sports, but didn’t enjoy learning the details he needed to play with others in a field. This “hockey” game seemed similar to the many other rough sports, but involved ice and other expensive equipment that the filthy rich Master Jaeger bought for his spoiled son. At least Eren enjoyed himself when he was playing.  


Other than showing Levi how to play this dangerous sport, Eren also blabbed on about how one day, he’d get to have his father’s theatre, and be able to put on his own plays. Eren always became very excited when he talked about putting on shows. He even showed Levi some of his screenplays, complete with short musical numbers- the boy was incredibly talented in music. He played the piano.  


Eren was an amazing pianist, even though he rarely liked to admit it. Levi taught the young man when his mother stepped in to work for him.  


Levi stepped up to the beautiful, grand doors. He used the clamp, adorned with an eagle-head, to notify Master Jaeger of his presence.  


The weather had been cloudy all morning, but the sky suddenly cleared as Master Jaeger opened the doors. A ray crawled up to Levi’s face, warming it a bit. The raven welcomed the sudden outburst of light around him. As Grisha Jaeger opened the doors, the light faded away as suddenly as it appeared.  


The head of the household was dressed in a well-pressed brown suit, with a tan dress shirt underneath. His pants were some unrecognizable dark color, and his shoes were unusually bulky and large. Levi decided to greet him semi-formally, looking at his choice of clothing today.  


“Good morning, Master Jaeger. I apologize for not bringing Mrs. Ackerman with me today. She is ill and I will work for her from now on.”  


“Ah, yes. As expected of an Ackerman, taking on his mother’s job along with his own. You do know you will get paid no more than you already are, yes?”  


“Yes, Master Jaeger. “  


Levi had to focus on looking more presentable than he really was. His dirty dress shirt and ragged vest didn’t make him look very neat- he didn’t feel very good about himself at the moment, either. Losing his mother sure was taking a toll on his confidence; Levi could barely manage to stand up straight.  


They walked into the grand, marble-covered entryway, and then made a right towards a long corridor, in which the room he and his mother always worked in was. The corridor had red carpeting with cream-colored walls, and there was a series of doors that led to a variety of different rooms. Levi stepped into his work-room for today.  


The walls were adorned with templates for the most expensive clothing the Jaeger family owned. There was one medium-sized window that only showed tree leaves, as it was covered by the willow tree right outside it. There was a rack of mannequins used for creating dresses and other clothing. Some of those mannequins were occupied by the large number of unfinished dresses that belonged to Mistress Carla. Levi took in the sight of the clean room, before it was covered in string and fabric that gets strewn all over the place. Yes, he loved cleanliness, but Levi was a very disorganized person, especially when he was working. As long as it was all clean and disinfected, he was fine.  


Grisha stepped up in front of him and turned to face the raven.  


“Well then, today you’ll be working on the clothing that was started by your mother last Sunday. Carla ordered a couple of new dresses- and some new additions to Eren’s closet. Make sure those are finished and well-done.”  


Levi nodded, and walked into the room for tailors, taking in what he had to do that day.  


“Also, Levi,” Grisha sent a menacing glare towards the young raven, “be sure not to make mistakes, especially on Eren’s clothing.”  


“Yes, sir.” Levi felt a wave of confusion rush over him. Master Jaeger was rarely this stern- and a death glare like that could only be achieved by someone as fierce as his mother.  


With a sigh, Grisha walked away, his large boots thudding against the marble floors of the mansion.  


As soon as the sound of Master Jaeger’s boots faded away, Levi plopped down onto the floor. The handbag on his shoulder slipped and fell to the ground, spilling out its contents.  


Levi turned his head to see what he had to grab for work today, and caught a glimpse of something he had never seen before.  


It was a picture of his mother in a long, flowing, violet dress, holding an infant with squinting slate-gray eyes.  


Levi got a sudden rush of inspiration to make a new dress.

*****

Levi was sewing a dress for Mistress Carla to add to her infinite collection. It was a long, royal purple dress with short ruffled sleeves, a flowing veil and lilac-colored embroidery on the hem and as trim. It required much precision when creating the embroidered sections, and without his mother to give hints, it was a challenge.  


He had completed most of the other dresses his mother had started last week- a short, bright orange one with a veil, a navy dress with white accents that drooped to the floor, and a dark, red wine-colored dress that had a large collar. Now he had time to work on his new design. He’d made a written plan that he took from a previous dress plan that was similar to the one he was making now. It included most of Mistress Carla’s measurements, which helped him complete the plan much faster.  


He thought of this new creation with pride. It was almost exactly like his mother’s dress. Levi was sure she would have been proud of him if she’d seen it.  


Levi was getting along well until he heard soft music coming from the entryway to the mansion.  


It was very faint, and Levi wanted to hear more. He decided to leave the dress for later- it could be finished that afternoon if he worked quickly. Levi left and walked out of the room with walls lined with clothing stands, and into the corridor that led to the entryway.  


When you entered the Jaeger mansion, you were greeted by two grand staircases that led to one huge dining hall. The floor was white marble, and the walls glistened from the daily cleaning done by servants. A large chandelier hung high above the people who always stood below it as they entered the beautiful mansion. Levi stepped into this area, and began to figure out where the music was coming from. There was no piano in the entryway, to his disappointment.  


The music was coming from the top of the staircases.  


Levi and his mother had been denied access to the stairs, and anything above them. They were only allowed to stay in the tailor’s room and walk around in the entryway.  


The raven didn’t think about the consequences he might face if he walked up the stairs. He only cared about the music now.  


Luckily for Levi, there were no servants around today, besides the maids, who were currently tending to the Master and Mistress’s every need.  


He ran up the stairs, being careful not to slip on the marble steps. Levi began to get tired very quickly- not having much food really did have its effects on even the most resilient.  


As he neared the top of the stairs, he started to see a grand piano in the dining hall. It was ebony-colored and shined in the light of the chandelier. And sitting there, hunched over the keys with his fingers moving furiously, was Eren.  


He wasn’t sitting up proudly with a calm and collected look on his face, playing smoothly and with grace. In fact, Eren was the exact opposite. The boy was slouching down while his face was red, strained and looking very frustrated. His fingers pounded the keys, creating terribly loud noises that Levi couldn’t believe he mistook for music.  


Levi slowly walked up to the young brunette, careful not to startle him. Anger seemed to float around Eren as Levi stepped closer. The raven’s heart raced as he put his hand on the brunette’s shoulder- from fear or from happiness, Levi did not know. He thought about uttering Eren’s name, but the boy turned around before Levi could even try.  


“What is it?!”  
Eren’s voice was filled with annoyance, along with a hint of sadness. His eyes were burning like two lit-up emeralds, but immediately became dark and cloudy. “Levi… I’m sorry…”  


He folded his arms on top of the keys, making a horrible combination of notes. Eren then rested his head on top of his arms, and let the sounds fade away. He wanted to hide the tears that had been welling up ever since he found out about what could happen to his family.  


Levi could do nothing but watch as Eren broke down right in front of him. The raven sat down beside him and placed his hand on the brunette’s back, saying some words of assurance. He knew the brunette was very fragile at the moment, and didn’t dare to anger him.  


Levi began to pet Eren’s hair, brushing strands away from the young man’s tear-soaked face. Eren noticed this, and lifted his head. He moved picked up Levi’s hand and moved it away from his face, eventually placing it down. Eren then looked at Levi with large, watery eyes and apologized.  


“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Levi. It’s just that so much happened in one day…” He wiped his eyes with his arm.  


Immediately, Levi cupped Eren’s face with his hands, and gently removed one to stroke the crying boy’s hair. “Tell me everything, Eren. I’ll listen.”  


Levi knew this could potentially get him fired, but he saw how desperate Eren was for someone to comfort him and listen.  


“My mother got into a carriage accident early in the morning. She was going to an art expo when the carriage swerved and tipped over; at least that’s what I hear. From what Father says, she’s being cared for in her room by Dr. Arlert and himself. I hope my father is a good enough doctor to help Mother. But the possibility of her death is just too much.” Eren said all of this in a gravelly voice, and was trying extremely hard not to cry. Levi, of course, noticed this, and didn’t stop his comforting gestures.  


“It’s alright, Eren. You don’t need to be mad at the world. You just have to notice the good.” Levi leaned in and whispered in Eren’s ear. “Don’t forget that people care about you, brat.” The raven hugged the young brunette, and felt Eren immediately loosen up and begin to cry.  


Many people of Eren’s age hated being comforted in this way, but Eren was an exception- he seemed to crave it. The brunette buried his face between Levi’s neck and shoulder, taking in his calming but commanding scent of black tea and sandalwood.  


The thought occurred to Levi that Eren’s father wouldn’t even consider hugging his son, and his poor mother was unable to. Levi wanted to give Eren all of the happiness on the planet right now, and this was the only way Levi could do it at the moment.  


As Eren shook with sobs, whining every once in a while and soaking Levi’s dress shirt in tears, Levi decided to tell Eren about his similar tragedy.  


“Eren, I want you to know that I lost my mother today, in the middle of the night.”  
Eren’s removed himself from his perch on Levi’s shoulder. With wide eyes and a genuinely sad expression, he hugged Levi much harder than any time before.  


“I am so, so sorry to hear that…” his voice trailed off as Eren watched Levi burst into tears. Eren listened for a while- such a sad sound didn’t deserve to exist. Levi shouldn’t have to lose his mother. None of this should have happened. Levi shouldn’t even be above the stairs, much less hugging Eren while they poured out their feelings.  


Levi took some deep breaths and continued talking. “So I know how you feel, Eren. If there’s any way in which I can help you, then feel free to call me over. I am but a tailor, but I’m also a human being who can somewhat express their emotions to others.”  


The corners of Eren’s mouth rose a bit. It wasn’t a full smile, but it was enough to lift his mood. Levi was usually so calm and collected. Seeing his face red and blotchy was a gorgeous sight, completely different from his constantly stoic expression on a backdrop of porcelain skin.  


Eren was starting to feel a little better about the whole situation. Seeing Levi crawl out of his emotionless masks was very rare, since he was always so focused on his work. But Eren knew this was because of Levi’s terrible loss. The situation his mother was in no longer felt significant to him. Levi and his happiness were important now.  


The brunette’s tears were drying, but the occasional tear kept running down Levi’s cheek.  


“Thank you for listening to me, Levi. It... really made a difference.” Eren lifted his hand and caught a tear that slipped out of Levi’s slate-gray eyes.  


The raven lifted his head and looked around. Then he realized where he was. Eren was drying his tears while he rested in the brunette’s arms. They were sitting on the piano bench, which was at the top of the stairs.  


The stairs.  


“I really fucked up, didn’t I.”  


Eren didn’t understand the statement. He raised one eyebrow and made a barely-noticeable pout. Levi found this very adorable, and almost smiled. “I’m past the stairs. You can see that, right, brat?”  


Eren heard footsteps coming from the entryway. They were fast paced- and getting very close.  


“We have to go.” Eren grabbed Levi’s wrist as he cursed under his breath. He dragged the raven along with him and ran through the dining hall, and turned right, towards a huge, dark stairwell. The brunette tried running down the stairs, but tripped and made the rest of the journey in one large jump. Levi was close behind him, sliding down on his ass and getting dust all over his black pants.  


Because of his fall, Eren lost Levi’s hand.  


“Oh my god. Holy shit… Levi, are you hurt? Where are you?” Eren’s voice strained a bit, and became weaker. “Levi?” The brunette felt a familiar wave of sadness build up in his throat as his eyes watered.  


A small hand patted Eren on the head, and another grabbed his shoulder. The brunette felt Levi use his body as a weight to keep himself steady while getting up. “Don’t start crying again, you shitty brat. I’m not dead yet- just a bruise or two.”  


“Thank god. I was starting to get worried.” Eren blushed, embarrassed.  


Levi heard the brunette, but couldn’t find him. He brushed up against Eren while he searched for the brunette’s hand to hold on to. The raven’s hands moved along the young man’s lean arms, feeling for a hand. They were both panting from the fall, moving air around. Levi got a whiff of some of Eren’s cologne. It mainly consisted of pine and citrus, but had a hint of cinnamon that Levi absolutely loved, making him audibly sigh with pleasure. Levi’s warm breath touched Eren’s neck, and he felt his skin tingle. The brunette thought about Levi nibbling on his neck and wrapping his legs around Eren’s waist, keeping him down and kissing him senseless, while reaching down with his gorgeous, small hands…  


Eren was surprised at how far his thoughts had gone. He was grateful for the darkness of the stairwell- he didn’t want Levi to notice his flushed face or embarrassed expression.  


Levi finally found Eren’s warm hand and grasped it like it was water in a desert. “Are we going to sit here and breath in each other's scents in this cramped stairwell until we die?”  


Levi’s voice brought Eren back to reality. “Uh, yes. We just need to find the wooden door that should be at the bottom of the stairs. It’s probably on the left wall. Push it if you find it.” They simultaneously turned left and felt around for a wooden surface until Levi’s nails scraped against something.  


“I think it’s here.” He moved his left leg towards Eren, moving it against Eren’s waist. “Stand back, brat.” Eren let go of the raven’s hand and went so far back that he touched the wall opposite of the wooden door.  


Levi fucking kicked open the door.  


The smell of leaves and saltwater flooded their noses. There wasn’t much light coming in through the doors because of the willow grove covering the area. Eren ran back to Levi and grabbed his hand again without paying attention to their intertwined fingers. “That was honestly awesome, Levi.” The brunette’s smile stretched from ear to ear.  


“Thanks, Eren. But don’t start thinking I’m some immortal god.”  


Eren smirked. He was actually starting to see Levi as an unbreakable superhuman- he dealt with his mother’s death much better than Eren had with just a small tragedy. He even went to work and interacted with people. Eren barely spoke to anyone that morning, not even his sister, Mikasa.  


Eren pushed twigs and leafy branches out of the way, but Levi crawled under most of them. The brunette hardly ever noticed how short Levi was, but it was clearly noticeable now.  


They emerged from the dense willow grove, still hand-in-hand. The sound of waves crashing against the shore and gulls flying over their heads enveloped them.  


Levi’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.  


“You have enough money to own the ocean, too?!”  


Eren couldn’t hold on to the raven’s hand tight enough to prevent him from running full-speed towards the huge expanse of water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There'll be more Ereri soon- I apologize for putting so much ~tension~ between Eren and Levi 
> 
> Actually, I'm not sorry.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and leave a kudos if you loved it!


	4. Towards the Horizon

Levi had never known that the ocean was just behind Eren’s house. The city of Sina seemed like it was further away from the coast- but here he was, standing in front of it. The raven took a long breath, and tried to engrave the scene in his mind. 

Owning property by the coast must really take a toll on the mansion. Did the Jaegers really have enough money to pay for so many renovations and repairs? If so, they were richer than Levi could’ve imagined. If Eren’s father earned so much from being a doctor, then Grisha had to be a really fucking talented doctor. Master Jaeger could’ve also inherited it from his father… but little to nothing was known about the family from before Grisha’s rise to the top of society. 

The raven wondered if Eren knew anything about his family’s past, besides the fact that they were filthy rich. Levi didn’t want to think too much about that, though. The vast and endless ocean was right there, waiting for him. “I didn’t know you had enough money to buy the ocean, too!” 

Levi let go of Eren’s soft hand and sprinted towards the sea. 

“Levi! Wait!” The raven almost didn’t notice Eren’s calls. The wind flowing through his hair and the salty air transported him somewhere else- somewhere he could be free to live how he wanted to. 

Levi needed this. 

The raven continued to run, feet kicking up sand that flew into Eren’s face as the brunette chased after him. Levi’s feet started sinking into the wet sand, and eventually hit the cold water, making him shiver. The raven turned around and saw Eren charging towards him. Quickly, Levi slid out of the way and witnessed the brunette’s sad efforts to stop himself from falling face-first into the ocean. Eren made a small splash on impact; little droplets landed on Levi’s pale skin, stinging as they ran down his face. That brat could always find a way to annoy him. 

“Oi! Eren,” the raven exclaimed in an annoyed tone, “make sure to not splash me too much.” Levi was frantically wiping off the salty water. He reminded Eren of a cat, hissing at water and grooming itself like crazy. 

“It’s just some water. Are you afraid of it?” Eren asked teasingly. Levi’s face reddened, and Eren took this as a sign of confirmation. The brunette bent over, catching Levi’s attention, and placed his hand in the water. He pushed his hand through the ocean towards Levi, sending a tall wall of water to the raven. 

The expression Levi made right before the water hit him was priceless. 

Eren burst out in laughter when he saw the raven afterward. Levi’s hair was plastered to his skin, framing the raven’s annoyed eyes. Levi gave the brunette a sharp death-glare. 

“You asked for it, brat.” 

With incredible speed, Levi circled Eren, splashing him over and over again with saltwater. The brunette tried to cover himself with his arms, but Levi was absolutely merciless. 

When Levi was sure Eren was soaked, the raven stepped out of the water and ran onto the shore. He stood still and waited for Eren to notice him. 

The brunette no longer felt Levi’s presence next to him. He opened his eyes and lifted an arm to move away his bangs, which were now hanging over his emerald-green eyes and obstructing his vision. 

Levi was standing above him on a small rise, smiling. The raven’s face looked completely different from before- he was squinting, and his cheeks rose a bit, highlighting his heart-shaped face. Eren could barely see him, but the brunette could almost swear Levi had dimples. 

Motivated to go towards the raven, Eren began to stumble towards Levi, trying to get out of the small basin he had made while getting bombarded with jets of water. He had some trouble, though, as his feet kept sinking into the sand with each step. 

One of Eren’s feet got pulled in too deep, and the brunette lost his balance. He tried to regain it by placing his hands on the ground, but sadly, there was no ground to grab on to. He touched the sandy bottom, but sank in even more; part of Eren’s face was now submerged in saltwater. 

Eren struggled to move, but made no progress at all. He tried to sit up; luckily, this action was successful. Yes, half of him was underwater, but he wasn’t in danger of drowning. 

Eren looked in front of him, and realized he was facing the ocean. It seemed endless- the horizon showed no sign of ending. The brunette stared out into it, mesmerized by the enormity of it all. Soon, he heard small splashes heading towards him from behind, and was greeted by a pair of small, lithe feet. 

“I really hope I won’t have to save you every single time you get yourself into a shitty situation.” Smooth hands grabbed Eren’s upper body, and pulled him up and out of the water. Then, he was turned around forcefully, eventually facing the silver-eyed man. 

“Thanks, Levi. I would’ve been stuck there for a while if it wasn’t for you.” Levi cocked his head. “Were you really stuck? Or were you just waiting for your knight in shining armor to save you again?” Eren looked away and nodded, silently confirming Levi’s thoughts. “Let’s get out of here and dry up.” Levi took Eren’s hand and walked up to the dry sand, pulling Eren out of the water after himself. They climbed up the small hill that lay before the sea, which was now tinted purple. 

Eren seated himself on top of the hill, but Levi stood for a while longer while looking out towards the horizon. After letting out a sigh, the raven sat down. The sun was casting red and pink light over the beach, shading the men’s faces pink. 

“Levi.” The raven responded with a grunt, not taking his eyes off of the sunset. 

“Your face changes completely when you smile, you know.” 

Suddenly, Levi blushed. He lowered his head and mumbled. “Thank you, Eren.” The raven continued to look at the landscape. When the sun began to irritate his eyes, Levi pulled his knees towards his torso, hugging them, and wedged his head in the space between his knees. 

Eren observed these movements, and grinned. Today, he’d seen Levi’s softer side. The raven was capable of smiling, blushing, and making his heart flutter, too- from what, he didn’t know. Even curling up into a ball made him feel a rush of affection for Levi. He was seemed so small and vulnerable now, even though he acted cold and emotionless at times. 

The brunette turned his head back towards the ocean. He and Levi were dripping wet, and the sun was setting. He was sure he’d get questioned by his father, but Eren could easily make a lie. Lying about Levi would be harder, on the other hand. He left his job, broke rules about where he could go in the mansion, and made physical contact with Eren- all of this could get him fired. 

A quiet, soft snore interrupted Eren’s train of thought. He turned to face Levi, and was surprised to find the raven sleeping. 

Levi was leaning forward in what seemed like an uncomfortable position. Eren tugged the raven towards his chest so he was in a better position. Levi was now leaning against Eren, his head on the brunette’s collarbone between his shoulder and chest. 

Eren pulled Levi closer, wrapping his arms around the sleeping man. The raven pressed his face into Eren’s chest, taking in his warmth. Eren could make out a pleasant expression on Levi’s face, which included a small, toothless smile. Levi was just so cute, Eren’s heart couldn’t take it. He placed his chin atop the raven’s head, and sighed. 

The sky was now a shade of dark mauve. Levi’s quiet breathing was like calming background music, accompanied by the whistling wind. 

As the sky lost its last streak of color and succumbed to darkness, the air turned cold along with the wind. A particularly chilly gust made Levi shiver and wake up. His eyelids fluttered against the damp fabric of Eren’s cotton shirt. Levi immediately became aware of his surrounding once he sensed the warm, intoxicating scent of pine and cinnamon. The raven was tempted to cuddle Eren some more, but his worries overpowered this impulse. He sat up and pushed himself away from the brunette, who looked confused. His confusion immediately melted into a peaceful, slightly teasing expression that made Eren’s eyes soften. “It was nice while it lasted.” The brunette laughed to himself. 

Levi blushed furiously. “Don’t go thinking it’ll happen again soon, Eren. I rarely let my guard down so much.” He tried to cover up his embarrassment. Levi didn’t think Eren would betray him or try to kill him in his sleep, but he could never be too cautious. The day had started with a shock, and Eren had numbed Levi’s pain. Without pain, Levi was less alert and aware of his problems. This was definitely a problem- but Levi didn’t want Eren to be the problem. 

With a grunt, Levi tried getting up, but his legs had fallen asleep. “Shit! First I fall asleep, and now my fucking legs are broken!” Levi was getting more frustrated by the second. It was late, and he wasn’t sure how his job as the Jaeger family’s tailor was going to turn out. 

Eren observed him as the raven stepped forward, wobbling. He smirked, and offered to help. “I don’t need any of your help, dammit!” 

Eren stood up, towering over the raven. He looked down on Levi’s face with a smug grin. “Would you like me to carry you?” Levi was amazed at the brunette’s kindness. Nobody had really cared for his wellbeing this much. 

The raven knew how stubborn he could be when he was frustrated, so he decided to accept Eren’s offer. Eren slipped one hand under Levi’s knees, and the other under the raven’s arms. Levi wrapped his arms around Eren’s neck, pulling his head down. He leaned towards the brunette’s face, and whispered in his ear. “Don’t you dare drop me.” Eren shivered and nodded. Levi was surprisingly light, which made it easy for the brunette to carry him. They headed towards the mansion, and pushed through the willow grove where they had escaped that morning. 

Levi was frustrated with his situation, but quickly accepted his defeat. Being carried by Eren wasn’t too bad. He got to feel the rise and fall of the brunette’s chest as he clung to Eren. It was actually very comfortable; Levi was getting used to being carried, and started nodding off. He was extremely tired after today, and Eren was so warm and soft… The smell of the ocean had faded away, and the area was dark and musty. Eren stopped moving. The brunette lowered his arms a bit, and Levi whined. 

“You like being carried now, Levi?” 

The raven grunted, grabbing Eren’s shirt and squeezing it with his fists. “Don’t let me go yet.” 

With a small laugh, Eren gently placed Levi’s feet on the ground. After making sure the raven was steady, Eren let go of Levi, leaving just a hand on the small of his back. “Can you stand?” 

Levi nodded, and took in his surroundings as his silver eyes adjusted to the dark, revealing that they were back at the bottom of the basement. Eren started walking up the stairs, and paused, turning to face Levi. he reached out his arm, and the raven took his hand without hesitation. Navigating the dark stairwell made Levi feel uneasy, but Eren tamed that fear. 

They reached the top of the stairs without tripping or stumbling. As they appeared out from the stairwell, Eren froze. A young woman with black hair that reached to her shoulders was sitting at the piano. On closer inspection, Levi saw that she was wearing a dark red scarf, and was sitting up straight. 

“That’s my sister, Mikasa,” Eren whispered. He seemed nervous, as if the woman would attack him on sight. Eren inched closer towards Mikasa. He let go of Levi’s hand and walked up to her, leaning in towards her face. Levi felt a wave of fear, but quickly realized that Eren was only checking if she was awake. 

Eren mouthed, “she’s asleep,” giving Levi the all-clear to go to him. 

Levi was about to say something, but Eren stopped him by pressing a finger against his lips. The raven was startled by this gesture, but knew Eren wasn’t implying anything besides staying quiet. The brunette began walking down the large marble stairways, paying special attention to how much noise his shoes made. Levi did the same, holding on to the marble railings to steady himself. Once they reached the bottom, Eren ran towards the front doors. The brunette pulled them open while letting out a grunt, and swung them open far enough to let Levi out. They ran outside, and stood on the front steps while the doors shut behind them. They stood still for a while, smiling and reminiscing about their day together. 

“Thank you for comforting me, Levi. It really made a difference.” Eren smiled nervously and rubbed his neck. 

Levi leaned in and hugged Eren. The raven moved his hand to the side of Eren’s neck, leaned back, and looked him in the eyes. “I never thought I’d get to see the ocean in person, or get carried by such a handsome brat.” Levi just realized what he had said. Was this because of Eren? Was he affecting his behavior? 

Eren smiled gently, placing his hand over Levi’s. “And I’m happy that I got to know you a bit more.” Levi felt let down. He had made such a bold statement, and was given something so average. The raven hid his disappointment, and continued the conversation as if he hadn’t just worded his thoughts. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Eren.” 

Levi turned around, stepping onto the cement path that led from the Jaeger mansion to the most populated area of Shiganshina. He began speed-walking, trying to leave his embarrassment behind. 

He was stopped one more time by the brat. “I can’t wait to see your beautiful face again, Levi!” Eren was waving furiously, grinning from ear to ear. Pale moonlight illuminated Eren’s bright, glowing eyes, visible even from so far away. 

Levi’s heart raced. Did Eren really mean it? 

The raven denied Eren’s words, making himself believe it was just a slip of the tongue. But his soul knew that Eren wasn’t just messing with him. 

As Levi walked down the path, he realized that he didn’t know what to do. He could visit Shiganshina Station and go back to Sina, and face his home. But Levi was also capable of spending the night on the streets of Shiganshina- he’d done it before when his mother had to work through the night. 

The raven decided to go home. He could see what Kenny was up to at his house. With a slower pace than before, Levi headed to Shiganshina Station, towards home. 

But it felt like home was behind him, where he left the green-eyed man.


	5. A Bar, An Uncle, and a Brat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kenny and Levi have some family bonding time, and meet some kind strangers.

Levi couldn’t stop thinking about Eren’s words from the last time they spoke.  


“I can’t wait to see your beautiful face again, Levi!”  


The raven turned around and was once again confronted by those shimmering green jewels. This time, they were up close, right in front of him. Eren blinked-but when he opened his eyes again, they were different.  


The color was gone from his eyes, and had been replaced by a pool of off-white liquid. Then, slowly, Eren’s face changed shape- his round face became sharper, and his cheekbones stood out. His hair grew longer and turned black, becoming greasy and thin.  


Levi realized he was looking at his mother.  


She smiled, raising a hand to Levi’s cheek in an attempt to hold her son’s face, but the raven fell back onto the ground. Something wasn’t right- his mother couldn’t be here. She was dead.  
And where was Eren?  


The once-comforting figure of his mother moved closer and loomed over Levi. The raven stopped trying to get away. He sat on the ground completely still, holding his breath. The figure looked down and opened its mouth, revealing a set of rotting teeth.  


It mouthed the word “mistake.”

*****  


Levi gasped for air.  


He took a couple of deep breaths and looked around. There were no brats, no corpses, and definitely no dead mothers on the train. It was only a dream, and Levi felt pathetic for being scared of something so small and meaningless. Only one thing surprised him.  


There was a tall uncle in the seat next to him, fast asleep.  


The raven sighed. Kenny could always find him; it was like the man had a built-in sensor made to find his nephew, no matter how far away. Kenny wasn’t on the train when Levi boarded it- the raven was sure of it.  


He was still a bit confused, but he decided to let it go. At least Kenny cared a little for his well-being, even if he was a clumsy, overprotective uncle.  
City lights flashed past them as their train sped from the wealthy district of Shignashina to the cramped town-homes and alleys of downtown Sina.  
Sina’s downtown area was much rougher than the northern land. The downtown was poverty-stricken, with residents living in shacks that barely stood. It was always polluted from factories that sent their goods to the Northern ports, making the sky darker than it should be. The worst part of it all was the filth, in Levi’s opinion. No amount of scrubbing or sweeping could remove the dirt in people’s souls, anyway.  


The sky was barely visible through the train windows- stars were dimmed out from lights on the streets. Levi gave up hope on seeing any glimmers tonight, and turned back to Kenny.  
His uncle was now snoring lightly, his big hat drooping over his eyes. Levi got a feeling of comfort from looking at Kenny- he guessed the man would be taking care of him for a while from now on.  
The train passed an illuminated sign, saying “Sina Ground Station”. Kenny was still asleep, and they’d be arriving at the station in less than fifteen minutes… it was now or never.  


Levi scooted closer to Kenny, and positioned his face right in front of Kenny’s. He could smell his wretched breath as the man snored, but kept himself from making a face.  
Levi poked Kenny’s arm- once, twice, and on the third time, his uncle stopped snoring. Levi smirked. He was almost there.  


He poked Kenny one more time- it was enough for the man to wake up. When Levi saw his uncle’s eyelid twitch, he took a breath.  
Kenny opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of his nephew’s face up-close and coldly staring at him.  


“Boo.”  


It wasn’t much, but it sure startled the half-awake Ackerman. Kenny jumped up a little and let out a tiny, barely-audible whimper.  
Levi let out a chain of snickers, and even some laughs. “Got you again, sucker!”  


Kenny grinned. “Fuck off. That’s not a way to say ‘good morning’ to your uncle, isn’t it.”  


“Yeah, it isn’t, but it’s fucking hilarious when you jump up and squeal like a rat.”  
His uncle let out a sigh, and shifted himself in the uncomfortable train seat. “What time is it?”  
“Judging by the fact that you were asleep, I’d assume it’s around three in the morning. Now, what the fuck have you been doing all day?”  
“Don’t rush me, shortie. I found Kuchel lying on the bed, dead and rotting away. Her home is far too close to the brothel for comfort, though, so I decided to let her rot in the ground. I buried her in that pathetic little garden plot you had.”  


“Did you mark her grave, at least?”  
“Yep- that little fence works well if you’re trying to form letters.”  


“You mean the fence around the dying lilies?” Levi didn’t want the only thing he was proud of to be gone just yet...  


“They weren’t growing anyway. Don’t get so upset.” Kenny looked down guiltily.  
Levi, on the other hand, was disappointed to hear this. He and his mom had bought the little plot of land together a year ago with some spare money. Their lillies had been slowly dying during their recent drop in pay, simultaneous with the new servants being hired at the Jaeger estate. Yes, lilies symbolized death, but death was a new door for Levi. People came and went, their souls flickering like candle flames- getting extinguished is part of your purpose. Death also let him find new ways to manage troubling situations, according to Kenny. Levi believed his uncle had several valuable snippets of wisdom, and this was one of them. He could be forgetful at times, though, which caused a variety of mishaps throughout the raven’s life.  


“I apologize. I know how much that pathetic little garden meant to you- I just wanted Kuchel’s grave to be marked so people knew.”  


“I understand, Kenny.” Levi was still a little pissed off, but the train had just stopped, and it was time to get off.  
People raced towards the doors to be let out. Levi nearly got trampled, and had taken shelter walking behind Kenny.  
The second Levi touched the ground, he walked towards an empty bench and sat down, with Kenny right next to him.  


“How was your day, Levi?”  


The raven hesitated responding to him, but could sense a genuine interest in his uncle’s statement.  
“It was actually better than usual. I completed most of Mistress Carla’s dresses my mother started on, and I also decided to make a new one inspired by a photograph I saw not so long ago.  


“A photograph, eh?” Kenny’s eyes gleamed for a moment as he got a nostalgic look on his face. “Do you know how much your mother prepared for photographs every time she had one taken? She’d spend hours at a mirror, grooming herself, and making sure she looked perfect. I always told her she didn’t have to fix anything, but she believed that wealth made one beautiful. Sadly, she was never wealthy, never happy, and never beautiful to herself.”  


“Nice sob story. How did she ever get enough money to have photographs taken of her?”  
“She worked as a prostitute for about two decades. She actually earned a fair amount from prostitution, and could pay for a photo or two.”  


“A bit rude, don’t you think? Admitting your sister was a prostitute the day after she dies. Still, thanks for telling me. Some pieces of my life just came together.” Levi wasn’t too shocked by his mother’s past- far worse had been committed by people he knew from the streets.  
“Kuchel would’ve told you, eventually.” Kenny replied. His sister never hid the truth for too long- she was much too honest for keeping everything a secret. “Now what’re we gonna do until you have to go to work? We have five hours, at the least.”  


Levi glanced around and began observing people. “We could sit here and watch people waste their lives, just like us.”  
“That’s too depressing, though. We could head to the Marley Bar up in Northern Sina.”  
“That place? I’ve heard Marley has really shitty service for the folks from the downtown. If we’re dressed like street rats, you’ll never get a drink there. I’m also not going into work drunk. That’s your thing.”  
“You’re still young, Levi! You can get wasted once or twice while you’re able-bodied, unlike me.”  


“Hell no. I don’t want to get in even more trouble after Grisha finds out about my escape today.”  


“Escape! You’re skippin’ work now? I never expected you to be such a rebel, son!” Kenny laughed mockingly.  


Well, shit. He had to cover this up somehow. “It was no big deal. I stepped out of the tailoring room and into the entryway to take a break, but that shitty brat saw me. He didn’t say anything, but I hope he doesn’t snitch on me.”  
Kenny stayed silent for a while, and then smiled. “You’re lying.”  
“I’m not! How would you know?”  


“When you were a kid and broke something, you’d get a specific look on your face when you tried lying to me. Your nose would always perk up, and you squinted while raising one side of your mouth. This is the first time I’ve seen that look when you were an adult, but that didn’t disappear, unlike your good humor.”  
Levi elbowed Kenny, embarrassed that he had given himself away. “My humor isn’t that bad, Kenny.” He couldn’t make any good comebacks, though, and that was much worse than being insulted for his shitty sense of humor.  


“So what really happened at the mansion?”  
Levi was reluctant, but with some more teasing from his uncle, he finally spilled. “The brat was playing the piano. I went to listen, but I found him crying about his sick mother. He had a breakdown while I stood there, useless. I decided to comfort him, but someone, his sister, probably, almost found me. We escaped through a secret entrance that he found, and spent the evening on the beach. Did you know Shiganshina was so close to the ocean?”  


“Hmmph. That explains why you were mumbling the kid’s name when I got on the train,” Levi blushed. Eren was even affecting his subconscious… he felt like a hot mess- with a dead mother, the possibility of getting fired and a strong interest in someone he worked for. Even his own thought he was breaking down from stress or something. “Ya did the right thing, son. The kid needed someone to be there. Now, about the ocean. The teachers and lawmakers didn’t want kids drowning in the ocean on the rich people’s property. Those rich landowners had to pay for any lives lost on their property. If some idiot kid went and died in the water, they’d be wasting money. Now they don’t teach kids about the land too well.”  
Levi couldn’t believe how remarkably stupid this was. “Wouldn’t more people die if they didn’t know what the ocean was?”  
“Sure. But people stay away from the water of it’s by the large homes that are forbidden property.”  
“Isabel told me that the rich people live by huge crop fields and make money by selling food.”  
“That’s what the poor farmers and slaves do.”  
“My life is a lie.” Levi sighed. Good education was only for the rich kids…  


“So, are we gonna do something? We were supposed to visit the Marley Bar.” Kenny reminded Levi.  
“Quit nagging me. I’ll go with you, but I won’t drink anything.” This seemed to satisfy his uncle. They got up and headed out of the train station.  
The streets were surprisingly active for this hour. A golden glow shone out of each store window, and people’s faces were dimly illuminated by lamplight. Northern Sina had a completely different atmosphere from the downtown area- people were dressed better. There was no screaming or fighting. Levi had never seen the northern part of the city, aside from the train station. This change in scenery was gladly welcomed by the raven.  


A pair of young men were in front of him and Kenny. Levi happened to overhear their conversation.  
“I wonder who’s working the bar now. Didn’t you say Annie had the night shift?” This man had light-brown hair, styled in an undercut that revealed black hair by his neck. Levi couldn’t tell from the back, but it seemed like his face was long and angular.  
“Annie’s usually there at this hour, but Reiner and Bert occasionally work together on weekend nights. It depends on Annie’s mood, really. Even if I’m a regular there, I don’t know what goes on in her head.” The other man was about the same height as his companion, and his hair was similar to Levi’s, but a bit shorter. Levi could also see freckles on the man’s cheeks as he turned to talk.  


The raven pulled on Kenny’s black trench coat sleeve to get his attention. Kenny bent down to reach Levi- he was unnaturally tall, and made Levi feel even more like a midget.  
“Those two ahead of us are going to the same bar. Let’s follow them.”  
His uncle nodded his head. They trailed the men in silence.  
The pair then stopped at a small but bustling establishment, built of dark wood. A sign hanging above the glass doorways said, “Marley Bar: Bringing Down Walls Since 1886”.  


“That’s a peculiar motto, isn’t it?”  


A loud voice was directed towards Kenny and Levi. It belonged to the man with the dual-colored undercut.  
Levi’s observation was correct: the man had a prominent horse-face.  


“We’d like to invite you to have a drink with us. You guys look lonely.” Now the dark-haired man was speaking. His voice was much softer, and very friendly.  
Levi looked at Kenny. He looked very skeptical of their kindness, but nodded towards the raven. “Thanks for the offer. We’ll accept it.”  
“Nice! I’m Jean, and my good friend over here is Marco.”  
They introduced themselves, and the group of four sat down at the bar counter.  


A burly blonde with spiked hair and a tall, lanky brunette appeared in front of them, slightly startling Levi.  
The blonde spoke in a rough voice. “Marco! It’s good to have you here again. I see you brought your friend Jean this time.” He winked.  
“Yes, thanks for encouraging me.” Marco seemed flustered, but began ordering drinks right away. “Bert!” He shouted to the tall man preparing drinks, “what do you recommend today?”  
“The White Russian is pretty popular at this time of day.”  
“Good- give us five.”  
Levi was confused. “Who’s the fifth one for?”  
“For your old man, of course! He looks like he needs a good drink.”  
Kenny laughed. “Nah, son. Just one for me. Give the rest to your bartenders.”  
That reminded Levi of something else. “Also, no drinks for me. I’m working in two hours.”  
“You guys are no fun. What do you do for a living that requires so much focus, Levi?” Jean asked, grabbing his drink the moment Reiner delivered it.  
“I’m a tailor. I make expensive suits and dresses, and I don’t want to mess up. My customers are pretty snobby and picky, but they’re also really ignorant. I get paid pretty well, though, so it’s worth it.”  


As Bert completed the cocktails, Reiner handed them out to each person. “Hey, treat yourselves. Don’t give the short one anything. You and Bert can have two.” Marco offered to treat the bartenders, but they both refused.  
“Marco! Let’s take them.” Jean took the two extra drinks and handed one to Marco, chugging both of his own down in ten seconds.  
“You’ll be completely wasted by the time you get home, horse face.” Levi said.  
“Even a random guy you met on the street calls you horse face. I told you it’s not just that Jaeger brat.” Marco took the extra drink, but didn’t consume it until he was done teasing Jean.  
Levi pretended to ignore the fact that Marco had just mentioned Eren. How did they know someone of such status?  


As time went by, the raven noticed that Jean and Marco were slowly moving closer together, and were now showing more physical affection. At one point, they hugged and laughed like schoolgirls.  
Kenny leaned down and whispered to Levi, “Do you think they’ll notice if we leave?”  
“Absolutely not. They’re pretty drunk, and will probably get home with the help of Reiner and Bert. Marco seems to know them really well.”  


Soon after Jean ordered yet another drink, Kenny and Levi left. The raven decided to give Reiner and Bert a good tip- Marco would probably be too drunk to do so.  
They exited the dimly lit bar and walked out on to the streets, now being covered by light from the sunrise.  


“Do you think you’ll live without sleep, son?”  
“Sure, Kenny. I’ve done it a million times.” It was true. Levi had spent countless nights supervising his mom as she became sick, not sleeping at all for days in a row.  
“Good. The morning train leaves in about an hour. You can get to the Jaeger mansion earlier.”  


Levi was staring at the sun, which was creeping up, spreading light through tiny cracks and crevices between rows of townhouses. “Well, I’ll be on my way.” The raven was tired, but knew he’d regain his energy when he got closer to the mansion. Nervousness and excitement would empower him, from the stress of confronting Grisha and seeing Eren again.  


“Good luck talking to the Jaeger’s boy, Levi.” Kenny smiled and turned around, walking away from Levi.  


“Kenny!” Levi called out for him before he began walking to Sina Ground Station. “Thanks for keeping me company today!”  
Kenny smirked and tilted his hat as a sign of acknowledgment.  


Levi walked the opposite way as his uncle towards the station. It seemed like Kenny was headed to that bar again- maybe to see Marco and Jean.  
Their encounter had been strange. Two kind strangers offered to give them drinks at a bar that was definitely not for lowlifes. The bartenders were nice, but barely paid any attention to Levi and his uncle. Is that what Kenny meant by saying their service was terrible for the folks from downtown?  


The raven left the thoughts behind. He was now going to the Jaeger mansion, and had to focus on that. Seeing Eren would make his day better, but he probably had to face the consequences of running away on the job and breaking rules.  


Levi suddenly remembered that his satchel was at the mansion- contents on the floor, giving Grisha evidence of his actions.  


Now with more motivation, Levi ran to Sina Ground Station. He had to get to Eren and convince him not to snitch before his workday officially started. He couldn’t lose his only job now.  
Levi got to the station. He practically leaped onto the train, which had started moving. He fell to the ground, tumbling a bit. The raven was out of breath, but happy that he’d got on the train before it left.  


He stood up and brushed dirt off his clothes. Glaring at anyone who stared at him, Levi walked down the aisle of shocked passengers and chose a relatively clean seat.  


Levi whispered to himself softly, “I’m coming for you, Jaeger.”  
He hadn’t realized that someone had sat down next to him, and was listening to his threat.  


“Wow, Levi. Don’t be plotting someone’s death when you’re sitting next to them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for getting this far. I'll try to stick to a weekly update schedule, but there will be an occasional mid-week update. Please leave a kudos, and I hope you enjoyed!


	6. Journey

“Wow, Levi. Don’t be plotting someone’s death when you’re sitting next to them!” 

The voice belonged to the man with messy chocolate locks and brilliant green eyes. He was smiling toothily. 

“What? I thought you wanted to see me.” His bright expression faded away to become more neutral- almost like he was disappointed. “I did…” Levi looked away, confused. How did Eren get to him so quickly? “But I didn’t expect you to pop up here this early in the morning,” the raven tried to say this in an annoyed tone, trying not to reveal how surprised he was. 

“I’ve never told this to anyone, but I roam the streets early in the morning. It lets me escape my rich life, and fade into the crowd with ordinary city folk. I love the atmosphere of the city, and most of all, the nightlife- I live for it,” Eren glanced out the window. “I don’t really have an escape. But if I did, I’m pretty sure it’d be the ocean. It’s so fucking beautiful…” Levi flashed a small smile. The ocean was never-ending, holding all of the hope he needed. There was definitely something good in that huge sea that made life worth living, away from the cramped homes and crowded streets of Sina. It was like a breath of fresh air. 

“Now, about threatening me…?” Ah, yes. The brat had to mention that. “I was actually going to your house early to finish some work. I also wanted to see you.” Levi blushed a bit. It was barely visible, and Eren didn’t seem to notice. “How sweet of you,” Eren scooted closer to Levi and whispered in his ear, “but work can wait. What do you think about escaping for a while, Levi?” The raven shivered. Eren’s voice was deep, but it was soft at the same time- the sensation sent shivers down his spine. “Sure,” Levi pushed Eren away, but then leaned in even closer than the brunette had to him, “just make sure not to get carried away.” 

Eren’s face flushed. His heart raced from the sudden move of the raven. He smiled, trying to hide his reddening features from Levi. “I won’t.” The brunette sounded unsure. “Are you nervous, brat?” Levi moved his hands to meet Eren’s waist, which made the young man blush furiously. “N-No! Not at all…” 

The raven smirked, and moved away. If Eren was affected this much just by physical contact… Levi grinned at the thought. 

Eren, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what had just happened. Was Levi actually hitting on him? If he was, then life could be falling perfectly into place for him. The brunette settled back into his seat, and turned to face the window. They had to wait until they could go to the beach- a long walk awaited them. Now was the time to rest- he’d been slinking around the city all night, observing random city folk. People-watching was a strange but fun hobby of his. Many of his friends believed he was too impatient and impulsive to enjoy something that demanded so much observation and focus, especially since he played so much hockey. It also made him feel like a creepy stalker, but he rarely focused on one person in general. People-watching was a skill he used to guess people’s characters and lives; the brunette’s father always talked about how observing people could be useful in business situations. Eren preferred to do so for entertainment, though. People were very interesting, and he could occasionally stop for some food or a drink. 

Watching Levi was actually bit boring. Eren had got on the train as soon as Levi had left, following him while people-watching, but the raven rarely attempted anything too spontaneous, unless it would make people think more of him. Levi would also sit for hours, not moving at all- it was a mesmerizing talent he could never master. Other than that, though, Levi didn’t do much when he sat on the train as it rode through Sina. Occasionally, he brushed hair away from his face. 

That was it. 

Yes, Eren could study the beautiful curves of Levi’s face, or analyze how perfectly his hair fell into place. But how would that help him, besides making him fall for Levi even more? He sighed. They would have to wait a couple of hours until they reached Shignanshina’s coastal region. Then they would frolic by the ocean-side all day, with no worries or boundaries- with the freedom Levi seemed to desire so much. ***** 

Once again, Levi was looking at the ocean. 

Turquoise waves crashed onto the shore rhythmically, creating background noise for the two young men listening to the sound. They were on the small hill overlooking the shimmering water, sitting in silence. 

Levi was amazed by Eren’s spontaneity. He hadn’t expected a surprise visit this morning, and it was a pleasant change of routine. The raven was especially impressed with Eren’s sudden attempt at being flirtatious on the train. Along with that, the brunette had stared at him throughout the whole journey. It was slightly unsettling, but Levi felt flattered- nobody had admired him like that before. The rising sun cast a light yellow and orange reflection onto the ocean water, and projected itself on to the faces of the two men. With red on his nose from the sun, moved his hand to the left, towards Levi, and placed it down. He waited another five seconds, and then moved it again. The brunette repeated this process until his left hand was hovering right by Levi’s waist- it went unnoticed by the raven, who was staring at the sunrise, lost in thought. 

The sensation of a hand on his thigh startled Levi. He looked down and realized that his hands were still supporting his figure by resting on the sand. The hands, tan and darker than his own, belonged to the brunette staring at him, desperately trying to read the raven’s expression. 

Eren’s hand was warm, and Levi eagerly welcomed it. A cool breeze circled around him, a stark contrast from the brunette’s warmth. He put his own hand on top of Eren’s, grabbing it and placing it down, away from his leg. 

Eren looked bewildered, but Levi, seeing the questions on the brunette’s face, eased his confusion. “I want to show you something. It’s nearby, so we won’t have to walk too far. Then you can have me all to yourself.” The raven winked. He rarely made such statements, mostly sticking to jokes that could lighten the situation, but this was an exception for Eren. Seeing him get flustered was adorable, especially when he made a joke or said something with multiple meanings; Eren’s blushing face made his heart flutter. 

Without letting Eren say a word, Levi stood up and offered his hand to Eren. The brunette took it, but not without hesitating at first. As soon as their hands connected, Levi took off towards the mansion, Eren’s hand in a firm grasp. 

“We’re going towards my house?!” Eren protested, almost pulling his hand away from Levi’s, “we’ll get in trouble! I’m not supposed to be out here, Levi!” He wriggled his hand away from the raven, and stopped moving, pulling on the sleeve of Levi’s white dress shirt. 

“I’m only turning right, brat,” Levi had actually wanted to go right up to the mansion and turn right at the last minute to give Eren more of a thrill, but his plan hadn’t worked out so perfectly. “Oh… I’m sorry for stopping you. I just thought-” Levi sighed loudly. Sometimes Eren was really cute, but he couldn’t stop being a bratty teen. If this continued into adulthood, he would really be a pain in the neck. 

The raven forcefully took hold of Eren’s hand, holding it tighter this time, and started running once more. They passed through a small willow grove that began to fade away, with large oak trees and vines taking the places of the willows. 

Levi knew they were reaching their destination when he sensed mold and old wood. “Try to find a big-ass gate somewhere around here.” Levi knew it had to be in the area, but the gate was usually covered in old vines and overgrown bushes. The oak woods made a wall around them, but a small area with a curtain of vines caught the raven’s attention. He moved towards it, and stuck his hand into the vines. His hand went straight through, and was greeted with cool, stale air. 

“It’s over here! Stop poking around in the poison ivy bushes, brat!” Eren had been shoving his arms into a bush that looked suspiciously similar to poison ivy. Levi had gotten the brunette out of there just before he shoved his face into the bush. Eren ran back to the raven, slightly embarrassed and with his head down- he reminded Levi of a puppy. 

Levi pushed through the wall of vines and branches, grunting. As soon as he got through, he reached his hand out to the other side, and felt another grab his own. The raven pulled Eren through the greenery, but struggled with it; the man was much heavier than Levi- he had almost toppled over while trying to get him through. 

With some more grunting and pulling, Eren was through. But the brunette didn’t have time to thank Levi. 

The raven was confused as to why Eren was standing still, gaping, but realized that Eren wasn’t accustomed to seeing a mansion about five times bigger than his own, abandoned and hidden in plain sight. 

“What…” Eren’s green eyes were now sparkling gemstones, illuminated by the rays of sunlight streaming in and dancing around the oak leaves. 

“Jaeger, welcome to my second home.”


	7. My Palace

Vines of many green shades draped over the windows and wooden posts, crawling up the now-faded yellow walls. Hedges that were once neatly trimmed now grew large, covering up the sides of the house. It was eerie and quiet, away from the ocean and hidden from the people. 

It was the perfect escape for Levi. 

Eren was still staring the ruins- Levi attempted to shake the much-larger-than-him brunette, bringing Eren back to reality. “You look like a goldfish.” That sure made Eren pay attention. His brows furrowed, and he narrowed his eyes, “How do I look like a goldfish?!” “Your mouth was wide open and your eyes were glazed over. If I put you in a fish tank, I swear you’d start swimming around.” Eren grunted, and started walking quickly towards the ruins, making dirt clouds from his footsteps. Levi ran up to him, and moved in front of the brunette, blocking his path. “Do you know where you’re going, Jaeger?” The brunette tried to dodge Levi, but the raven didn’t let him pass. “Levi, I can do this myself!” Eren continued to push up against Levi, but couldn’t make the raven budge. How was such a small man so hard to move? 

Eren kept struggling, but ended up with no results. With a smirk, Levi took the frustrated brunette’s hand and headed towards a large cluster of vines on a mansion wall. The raven extended his hand towards the wall, and brushed away some vines, revealing an open window. 

“The doors are locked, but you can always break the windows.” 

Carefully, Levi bent over and stepped through the broken window, making sure not to cut himself on any sharp edges. After observing Levi, Eren succeeded in doing this, but almost fell over once or twice. Luckily, the brunette didn’t get injured. Once Eren was through, Levi looked around for a while, and then met Eren’s sparkling eyes. 

“Stand still.” “Yes, captain!” Eren responded eagerly. The brunette followed the order as the raven flashed a smile in response to the nickname. Levi squatted down onto the dusty floor, as if he was searching for something. His eyes met a faint shimmer, and his hands scrambled to locate the source of the light. 

Levi picked up a large leather box that was slightly open, revealing a cylindrical metal object. The raven opened the box, lifted the object, and took off the lampshade on the object revealing a candle. 

Eren observed the lampshade as Levi searched for a match. It sported several small, intricate designs- swirls, dots, clovers and even animals. The raven lit a random match lying on the ground next to a tiny paper box, giving Eren a better view of the room he was in. 

They were in the middle of a long hallway, which was eerily similar to the corridor where the tailors’ rooms were in his own home. Actually, the whole area seemed to be a replica of the Jaeger mansion- just filled with cobwebs and strange-looking objects that Eren didn’t recognize. 

Levi lit the candle, placed the shade back on, and lifted the object. As the flame grew, Eren was distracted from the similarities of the abandoned mansion and focused on the light show that was being displayed all around him. 

The detailed patterns that he had seen before were now enlarged, and displayed on the walls of the mansion. The designs danced above the cobwebs, glittering through all of the dirt and grime that could easily block their light. A lone glowing lion prowled through the forest of filth, crawling around stray branches and webs. Loops joined with spirals to make moving images that curled and danced through space, bringing light and joy to the dark mansion. 

Levi spun the lampshade to move the designs; with each spin, Eren’s expression grew more wonderstruck. Levi had never been able to show anyone his creation- not even his mother. She would’ve been appalled by the filth in the mansion, anyway. 

This mansion was his home. 

It was an escape from all of the turmoil in his family; the absence of his father, the ever-worsening state of his mother, and his growing interest in Eren and his past. In here, he was sheltered and hidden away from the world that saw him as a pest. Levi came here to make his dreams into realities. His passion for inventing and making something unique actually started while visiting these ruins once when he was younger. Levi barely remembered the experience now that he was much older, but had some fuzzy memories of it. 

His mother had taken over for a while, as he was still an inexperienced apprentice. Grisha was supervising Kuchel while she was planning a new dress for Mistress Jaeger. Levi had the chance to escape when the mail came; a tiny, 5-year-old Eren picked up the mail from the Postman, which involved opening the huge doors that welcomed you to the Jaeger mansion. Levi slipped through the doors while standing behind the Postman, hiding behind him as Eren received his family’s mail. 

The raven remembered wandering around the area for a long time, but had never stepped foot onto the beach- it was blocked off by hedges that formed a fence around the Jaeger property. But Levi knew how to get past those hedges to reach a forest of oaks. He found the mansion’s ruins after pushing through some thick shrubs and tiny saplings. First, he checked the large doors, but realized they weren’t going to open. He then found a big branch and smashed it against a window, breaking it. Since then, he’d always used the same window to enter and exit every time he visited the ruins. 

The mansion was a mess, with insects, webs and disgusting, moldy furniture all over the place. Levi remembered having the strong impulse to clean it, but was quickly distracted by the sparkling objects that decorated the creaky wooden floorboards. 

The items were very strange, indeed- colorful miniature tents with horses around the center, and figurines of people dressed in detailed but ridiculous costumes. To most people, these would definitely look like useless relics and children’s toys. But to Levi, these were unique treasures with potential. 

The raven began collecting these over time, exploring all of the rooms of the mansion. After gathering most of the items and adding some of his own, Levi put them on display in different areas. For example, he arranged all of the animal figurines in different positions by the giant staircases; some lions were climbing the wooden stairs as stone horses followed right behind them, chasing the beast away in an unusual display of dominance- something that defied nature. Levi was fascinated with creating things that defied all of the odds, and did his best to turn this worn-down mansion into a residence for kings and queens. 

Now he had someone to show his palace to. 

***** 

The lamp was still spinning, and Eren was still staring. 

“Eren!” 

Levi’s voice made Eren switch focuses. He turned his head to glance at the raven, who was now standing by a pair of blue wooden doors. “We have more to see, brat. Don’t be amazed just yet,” Levi remarked, and winked. That made Eren blush. Levi was giving off a confident yet confusing aura, which contained both happy nervousness and… a hint of excitedness. It seemed to Eren that Levi was actually looking forward to showing him the mansion- the brunette had never seen Levi so excited to do something. He was always so stiff and emotionless, hiding from him. The only other time he’d seen Levi show human emotions was when he started crying about his dead mother just a day ago. 

Eren followed Levi into the next room. It was darker than the one before, but the brunette could see the faint outlines of large objects from the light of Levi’s lamp. Suddenly, Levi extinguished the light. They were in complete darkness. 

Eren felt Levi’s hand on his waist, guiding him. He accepted this offer to help him find his way, melting into the sensation of Levi’s hand on the small of his back. As soon as it had arrived, the raven’s small hand moved away, leaving Eren’s back tingling. 

He heard Levi shuffling, and felt the heat of fire to his right. As he turned around, what he expected to be Levi’s presence was actually the shape of a gigantic marble lion, with a wide-open jaw that looked like it was about to consume him alive and whole. 

Eren let out a scream, jumping back. He continued to whimper as he hit a wooden wall, breaking the boards and falling into the small hole he had just made. The brunette lost his balance and landed painfully on his ass. 

Levi’s new match had been extinguished, and was replaced with a candle that was underneath the marble figure, still illuminating the beast. A dark figure appeared in front of him, kneeling down. He couldn’t see it clearly, but felt it move closer to his face. Eren soon realized it was Levi. 

“You sounded pathetic,” Levi’s face was unbearably close to Eren’s, and the brunette could once again breathe in the calming scent of tea and smoky wood, “like a yelping puppy,” Levi was now grinning oh-so-faintly, barely turning up the corners of his mouth. After staring for a while longer, Levi got up. 

“Come on. I have some more to show you before you die by tripping over a piece of dust.” With a smirk and a shrug, Eren began to get out of the hole he’d made. The brunette struggled a bit, and Levi refused to help him just to witness the brunette stumbling. He had to admit, Eren was being much too cute today- tripping over random objects, being amazed by his displays… Levi had more trouble than usual with talking himself out of his fondness for the brat. 

Eren was cute, but he couldn’t be in love with the kid, right? That was... wrong. Everything inside his soul was against it. He wasn’t raised that way, and had been scolded more than once for supposedly making a move on Eren- and Levi wasn’t sure if it was because of the obvious difference in their social status or because of his gender. But it didn’t matter, because he had never thought of Eren in any way other than platonically. 

Levi prided himself in avoiding intimate relationships with people he barely knew. The raven knew he had a problem with clear communication, and usually got Farlan or Isabel to relay messages to his street acquaintances. He also had trouble distinguishing between platonic and romantic emotions, at times. He’d experienced a similar dilemma as he now had with Eren, with Farlan, but the blonde’s unrequited emotions were clear from the start. Levi could barely make out the difference between a friendship and a good couple. His teasing friendship with Farlan was a strong result of this. 

But Eren was dancing on both sides of the line. 

Eren was a very confusing person, overall. He kept acting in ways that hinted at a liking for Levi, but always backed away whenever Levi tried making a move on him. Levi expected Eren to be easy to read, but the brunette was more complex, even more than him. 

At other times, though, Eren seemed like the simplest, most clueless human alive. 

The brunette followed Levi with unwavering loyalty, always staying right behind him, breathing on the raven’s neck every once in a while. It sent shivers down Levi’s spine, but reminded him of a loyal dog at the same time. 

They exited the room with the marble lion, with Levi making sure to extinguish the light beneath it. Levi led the way to the largest room Eren had been in so far. As Levi relit the lamp with the beautiful shade, he got a better view of this new room. 

A pair of huge staircases, much like the ones in his own house, snaked up and ended at a platform-like upper floor that seemed to be the perfect fit for a piano at the top. But the most intriguing things were not the striking similarities to Eren’s home, but the countless rows of lifelike, stone-still animals climbing up the stairs. Eren was taken aback by how realistic they seemed, as if their paws and hooves were just pausing mid-step to show off to their audience. Without much forethought, the brunette ran up to the figure of a lion, and placed his hands on the silky fur. The brunette proceeded to shove his face into the lion’s mane, but was surprised when a cloud of dust rose and attacked his wide eyes and open mouth. After letting out a chuckle, Levi sprinted to Eren’s side, comforting the brunette as he coughed and wheezed. 

“Didn’t I tell you to consider if it’s worth killing yourself in an abandoned mansion?” Levi hit Eren on the back to make sure he wasn’t choking on anything other than dust, but accidentally knocked the wind out of the poor man. 

The suddenness of the act made Eren take a good breath of air, toning down his cough. As he calmed down, Levi kept making sure that he hadn’t injured Eren by nagging him about the situation that had just unfolded. 

“Are you SURE I didn’t just puncture your internal organs or something?” Eren nodded and let out a weak laugh. Levi looked almost panicked as he questioned Eren, with messy jet-black hair and wide eyes. 

“Please, don’t do that again. For both our sakes.” 

“Sure. But can I go and saddle up the horses?” 

“You are such a fucking idiot, Jaeger.” Levi sighed, but with a tiny hint of a smile, got up and walked up the stairs, stopping at the top. 

Eren was distracted by an exotic-looking striped horse when he turned to face the direction of Levi’s voice. “Did you notice yet that this place is almost an exact replica of your mansion?” 

“Yeah… this one looks better than mine on the inside, though. You work is awe-inspiring,” he knew Levi wouldn’t take the compliment seriously, but continued to keep his focus on the art that decorated the mansion, “Where did you get all of this, and why does nobody know about it?” 

Levi pondered telling Eren the truth, and made the decision to do so when the brunette continued talking. “I could promote your work through my father’s company. Everyone could see the talent behind those mesmerizing eyes.” 

That was enough to push Levi. 

“I used to visit this place when I had the free time while my mother worked. This mansion was like a home for all of my passions and gave some meaning to my life. I decided to bring all of my dreams here, and begin creating something that I could love forever without losing it. I knew my mother would die soon, and I might not be able to mkae a real good living without here, so I made this as a legacy. For over five years, I’ve traded with small businesses around the area to obtain some of these things, mostly through Sina's widespread connections in a black market of trades,” Levi paused for a moment, “I’m not sure if all of it’s legal. It’s just for my enjoyment, but if you like it so much… I’d love to advertise my work.” 

“That was some emotional shit you just poured out to me,” Eren smiled. He looked around the room again, taking in the glowing patterns on the walls and the exotic taxidermized beasts, “and I’d definitely be able to promote this. It counts as an art form- we could even to expand it to theatre or something like that,” he kept his eyes focused on a crescent-shaped light on a broken chandelier on the ceiling. 

“I would really love that.” the barely-noticeable smile on Levi’s pale face widened. The raven gave the lamp another spin, and the two stared in silence at the moving designs, as if in a dream. 

“I’m leaving Shiganshina for about five years to complete my education.” Eren said in a solemn and slow tone, as if it was rehearsed. 

Levi gaped at the brunette, who was now choking back tears. “Now you tell me…” he looked down for a second, and then glanced at Eren. Eren looked guilty, but Levi was not prepared to see how guilty a human being was capable of looking in just two seconds. 

Eren’s shiny, tear-soaked eyes met the raven’s. “I’m leaving tomorrow, Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ereri fluff will follow soon-  
> Stay tuned.  
> Please leave a kudos if you loved! I appreciate all comments and feedback. Thank you!


	8. A Killjoy and a Kiss

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” 

Eren was giving Levi so many opportunities- a way to give him money, a career, and fame- and then closed all of those doors just as suddenly as they had opened. 

“So… you won’t be able to offer me fame, then?” Levi pouted, but gave Eren a playful flash of a smile.   
“I won’t. My father wouldn’t let me promote you until I finish this education at a private school, and until he’s sure you’re not trying to flirt with me.” As soon as he had said it, Eren wanted to take those last couple of words back. “He’s a very judgemental man, though. He suspects that of everyone. I’m sure he was not actua-” 

“So he noticed…” mumbled the raven. Levi wanted to change the tone a bit, and let Eren’s tears dry up. The kid could worry about that situation later. The brunette tried calming down, and chose to carry the conversation.   
“Fuck yeah. It was pitifully obvious,” Eren turned towards Levi with a smug look on his face. “And it was fun watching you try to understand my own attempts at it.” Watching Levi dance around had been a great learning experience, and taught Eren how to slowly build connections with people. His father had recommended it, and it sure was useful. Grisha probably never expected him to be using his skill to read signals about romantic emotions, though. The brunette secretly prided himself in being a master at reading people, but Levi was a first- he was both confusing and easy to read. Sometimes, the raven was very open and let his emotions show through as if transparent. But, at other times, his expression was neutral and stiff. That made Eren’s game much more entertaining. 

But it was much too complicated. Sometimes, you had to take the simple road. 

Eren shuffled uncomfortably as Levi looked on. The brunette cleared his throat, “so... did you notice anything? That I did, of course,” Eren was stumbling over his words, blurting out incomplete thoughts, “to send a message. About you and me.” The brunette took a deep breath and closed his eyes, holding that breathe for a second. As Eren opened his eyes, jet-black hair appeared before him, but it was closer than where Levi was sitting before. 

“What kind of message?” Levi asked with a sly smile that was slowly growing.   
“That-” Eren took a sharp breath, “I think I love you.”   


The raven let out a barely-audible sigh. “And you confessed so soon… what an idiot.” 

Now Eren began to panic. He’d just confessed his feelings for Levi, but he wasn’t even sure if they were true. It was probably just that the man was attractive, and that he envied Levi. Or it was the raven’s striking similarity to his sister Mikasa- maybe Levi reminded him of his sister. 

But as the raven moved closer- close enough for Eren to quickly lean in and connect their lips- he realized that there was no rational reason for his strong attraction towards Levi. Because love was never rational. 

The softness of Levi’s lips was surprising. For living in such poor conditions, the raven’s lips were perfect. He was perfect all over, from his scent to the sharp angles of his face and piercing eyes. But most of this went unnoticed as sparks began to fly between the two. 

Eren couldn’t resist the urge to run his fingers through Levi’s hair as the raven began to deepen the kiss, just a little. Levi felt the movement, though, and pulled away the second before Eren’s hand touched his hair. He was left with a euphoric but confused brat whining pitifully. 

“Why did y-”   
“You’re a very brave idiot.” Levi’s sighed contentedly, but then his expression darkened. “We can’t do this.”   
Eren chose to not interrogate the man, who was now clearly upset. 

“Not before you go to that private school, not before you grow up a bit more, and definitely not before I get fired,” Levi paused, took a breath to keep from tearing up, and continued, “we can’t be in a relationship. You know it’s wrong, Eren. It’ll ruin your reputation and your success. You want to go marry a rich, soft girl that will give you everything you need, and she will make sure you become famous. That’s what you need, Eren.” 

“I don’t care about my reputation or if I make money. Do you really think I’d want some stupid wife and an easy life? I want to be with you, Levi.” 

The raven looked as if he was in pain. “You don’t want that. You won’t get anything out of it and your life will be miserable!” 

“No! I’ll be happy with you!” 

“Shut up, you fucking brat!” 

Their cries echoed throughout the wooden room, and faded into silence as Eren listened to Levi’s angry ramble. The raven was fuming, and the brunette was on the verge of crying. 

“You’re just a bratty teenager in a rich, spoiled family. How are you supposed to know what’s right or wrong? You don’t know how all of this could ruin your life.” Levi turned away and spun the lamp again. In a low whisper, he spoke to himself, “you have absolutely no idea…” 

Eren didn’t want to admit that Levi was spot-on. 

“That was a good kiss, though” the brunette smiled, staring absentmindedly at the spinning figures on the walls. The edges of Levi’s eyes crinkled as he gave Eren a genuine smile, “it really was.” The raven gave a grunt as he stood up, and started towards the pair of doors they had entered the room through. “I have to get the bag I left at the mansion yesterday, and get to some unfinished work. You pulled me from it with that racket you were making on the piano.” It seemed like the whole incident had been years ago, in a hazy dream.   
“Well… could I carry you there?”   
“No way in hell am I letting you carry me again!” Levi snarled.   
“God, okay! You don’t have to be so rude about it.”   


Eren didn’t know this side of Levi yet- the side that was vicious, merciless and very reserved, covering all emotions with anger. Levi had a bad temper, and Eren was just seeing the milder side of it. Levi walked away solemnly, extinguishing the lamp on his way out. 

“Well, shit.” Eren ran out the same way Levi did, and took the lamp. Who knows, maybe it would be useful one day. The brunette chased after Levi in the dense forest, dodging branches left and right. He eventually got to the mansion after getting assaulted by sharp twigs and bushes. The front door was wide open, guarded by Eren’s sister, Mikasa. 

“Eren, explain yourself before I fire Levi and kick your ass. The little shit just ran in here, out of breath insisting you were going to punish him for being late for work, even crying about it.” Mikasa ran her hand over her scarf, and cringed in disgust. “He got my scarf wet and almost knocked me over- the bastard’s going to pay for that.”


	9. I Want to See You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a nice, long chapter with --angst-- and arguments. Prepare yourselves.

“Please, don’t fire Levi.” 

Eren wasn’t expecting to be greeted by his sister threatening to kill him. Mikasa was punishing him so suddenly and for no reason- Levi didn’t deserve to get fired right now. They still had a complicated relationship to talk about.  
“Why shouldn’t I? He’s not here on time, he isn’t completing his work, and the shithead doesn’t pick up after himself. I have every reason to do it- and you don’t.” She smiled, “also, father is getting pretty suspicious about you two; said you guys ran away together and caught some fish in the ocean.”  


Shit. They knew… “Levi was feeling sick- he’s mourning the death of his mother... He just needed some fresh air. That’s it, I swear!” 

“If you say so,” Mikasa looked him over, “but you look like you were scratched up pretty bad. Did the shortie attack you or something?”  
“It was just some tree branches. And I wasn’t going to punish him! We were just discussing something personal.” Eren tried covering up the truth behind all of this and destroying Levi’s lie, but that lie had saved Eren from having to admit the truth about their encounter.  
“Personal meaning…?” Why did Mikasa have to be so fucking nosy all the time?! A sister should care for her brother, but not butt in on his personal matters!  
“We were talking about the work day, and how he’d have to get himself back together and on a normal work schedule.”  
“Hmm,” the ravenette hummed to herself, “father can take care of that. You, young man, need to get back to your studies. You know that you can’t go to Rose Private without cramming your little head with knowledge instead of that “hockey” crap.”  


“It’s going to be big, Mikasa. Trust me- hockey will be loved one day… but for now, just let me study in peace.”  
She smirked. “Says the one who was pounding the piano keys like a maniac for an hour yesterday instead of being productive.”  


“I was just grieving by… by letting out my anger!” That sounded good and believable. “You’re the only one in this family who seems to be able to stay sane all the time- it’s creepy.”  
“I’m just being rational. Mother isn’t going to die soon, anyway. Dr Arlert’s visits are actually helping her. You would know if you checked on her more often instead of sitting here like a whiny little bitch doing nothing.”  
“Just let me go, Mikasa.”  
“Fine. But I’ll be checking to make sure you’re studying and not breaking all of the plates in the house.”  
Eren rolled his eyes and shoved his sister aside, but only got back a pat on the head. “Don’t get distracted.”  


Without a response, the brunette trudged over to his room, which was on the opposite end of the house from the secret passageways to the ocean. He used that doorway to go there at night, and always had to be careful about making too much noise while walking across. He shared a room with Mikasa, which made it even riskier to go out at night for any reason. His sister was a very light sleeper, too, which even made going to the bathroom a loud activity. 

Eren decided to actually go study, but he quickly lost his motivation the moment he walked into his room.  
New clothes and papers were strewn around the room, while Mikasa’s area of the room was clean and perfect.  


As usual. 

Eren didn’t feel like cleaning at all, and his desk wasn’t in any shape to be used right now.  
The brunette took this as a sign. He hated studying, anyway. He knew his sister would be keeping an eye on him for a while, but he could risk seeing Levi again for a bit. He just needed to check where Mikasa was, to make sure he wouldn’t get caught.  
The servants were making breakfast at this time, and Mikasa usually helped them. The smell of fresh toast and jams could be sensed throughout the whole house, and so could his sister’s loud orders to the cooks and servants.  


The coast was clear.  
As Eren crawled out of his room, he passed the piano outside at the top of the stairs. He was tempted to sit down and play it, but he even more tempted to go to the beach right now. He needed to think of what to say- he wasn’t prepared at all to face Levi.  


Eren took a deep breath as he began his descent. Slowly, the brunette tiptoed on the marble steps to not let anybody hear his footsteps.  
A surge of panic went through Eren was he heard loud, rushed thuds. The brunette recognized these as the footsteps of his father. Eren knew the walking patterns of his family. They were mostly the same, besides Mikasa’s. She imitated the footsteps of his mother on random occasions. He’d been caught off guard because of her irregular patterns more than once, so knowing these was a valuable skill when you snuck out at night.  


Eren rushed down the steps, not caring if he made much noise anymore. He ran to the side and into one of the living rooms, which led to another section of the mansion with a long corridor.  
These were the spare rooms, mostly used for servants and storage. Levi was there, in one of those rooms. Eren didn’t have the time to check each one, but people told him he was a good guesser. If servants were assigned to rooms, then they’d be placed by rank and importance. As he was choosing a room to check, Eren tried blocking out the voice in his head that told him Levi was the most important person here.  
The damn voice wouldn’t shut up, so Eren ran into the first room to tame it. And there, covered in purple fabric by a dress stand, was a tall, moving lump that let out an ear-splitting screech as Eren barged in.  


“I’m doing my work, Master Jaeger! I made the Mistress a new dress I think she might like and I’m finishing some other pro-” Levi took off the sheet of fabric slowly, as if tangled up in it, but stopped as soon as he saw who was there. “Oh, it’s this fucker. Don’t bother me, Jaeger. I’m doing you a favor.” 

Eren was disappointed with his greeting. “Is cussing me out and ignoring me a favor!?” 

Levi put a piece of fabric in his mouth as he worked on the dress with both of his hands, making his words muffled, “I bfeleef letting you haf a futfure iz gfood for you.” He took out the fabric, and attached it the bust area of the dress, “and besides, you should be studying for that fancy-ass school for rich brats you’re going to.” Levi was avoiding all eye contact with Eren. He knew it was wrong, but the raven didn’t want to mess with him right now. They both needed to think about it all before they got into another heated argument with each other. 

“I don’t want to upset you anymore, Levi. Just listen to me for a second.” It was as if Eren had read Levi’s mind. “Understand what I’m trying to say, please, love.”  
“First of all, don’t call me that. Second, I’ll listen to you while I work so I can finish this.”  


Eren was slightly annoyed at the fact that Levi was still avoiding him in some way, but decided to just go with it for now- it was the most attention he’d get for a while.  
“Alright,” Eren tried releasing his frustration through a long exhale, and then began talking. “So… I guess I’ll start with promoting your artwork?” He looked at Levi to get reassurance to talk, but the raven wasn’t responding. After an awkward moment of silence, Eren continued. “I’ll be able to advertise your art. Once I finish this business school, I’ll have everything I need to start. To have a good company, of course, you need to have a way to tell everyone about it. I can help you with that,” Eren coughed, taking note of the nervous fidgeting of his fingers.  
“That sounds good. But I’ll have to wait five years to start making money, Jaeger. Do you think I’ll earn enough to start a company by being a tailor for that long?”  
“You could try…”  


“And that’s the problem,” Levi stated matter-of-factly, “you don’t know what you’re doing yet, and trying isn’t always enough,” He flashed a small smile towards Eren.  
“I may be inexperienced, but I have the money and the determination.” As Eren paused, Levi filled the space with a scoff. The brunette became very frustrated at this- couldn’t he get some respect out of the man? He was his servant, after all, and his attractiveness couldn’t change his status.  
Eren wasn’t sure about that, though.  


“I have to admit, you are annoyingly determined. But remember that you won’t be able to do much until you finish school. That’s it. I’m not arguing anymore.” Levi got back to completing the dress, which was very close to being finished.  


“Should I… leave you alone for a while, Levi?” The raven raised an eyebrow at this while contemplating his response. He expected Eren to go and argue some more, but was impressed at the brunette’s ability to face the situation maturely. Eren was merely a young adult, still learning about the world to Levi.  
The raven had to answer Eren’s question, now. It was better to have Eren think some more than to have him act impulsively and hurt himself. Would Eren be disappointed?  


Of course he would be. 

Levi glanced at Eren, nodded, and got back to work, only letting the corner of his eye trail the young man as he left the room. 

Now Eren couldn’t argue. He had to leave. 

Head hung low, the brunette trudged out of the tailoring room, leaving the raven alone in the quiet room to his work. ***** 

A small tear barely managed to slip out of Levi’s cold, menacing eyes, usually so devoid of emotion. A trembling finger met the teardrop, and crushed all its hopes of success. 

A bright young man had just slipped through Levi’s fingers, just like everything else he cared for.  
The familiar spreads of fabric from Mistress Carla’s new dress ran over Levi’s porcelain skin, falling and folding with elegance- so different from everything else that he touched; the frailness of his mother, Eren’s messiness… he kept losing what he wanted to keep so much.  


The Mistress would probably never even get to wear her dress, since the chances of her pulling through her injuries were very slim.  
Frustrated with himself for losing Eren and working so long on something that would never be appreciated, Levi let out an exasperated sigh, muttering to himself about being useless.  


“You’re not useless, you little shit. You’re just stubborn and self-degrading.” A mop of raven-black hair poked out from the door to the tailoring room. Levi guessed it was Eren’s sister from her tone of voice and crude vocabulary, which quickly made him disappointed that it wasn’t the brunette.  


The ravennette stepped into the room and circled around Levi and his work, staring at the new dress. She picked up and examined the ruffled sleeves, smiling. “This is really beautiful. Mother would greatly appreciate the hard work you put into it.” She let the fabric drop from her hands, and sent another sharp look towards Levi, “but it’s too bad she may never get to wear it.”  


“Don’t tell me what I already know!” Levi snapped at her, at which Mikasa flinched and took a step back. 

“He’s a spicy little one!” with a smirk, as if talking to a puppy, the ravennette continued to mock him and his work. “Ah, but Eren’s clothes aren’t finished,” she turned to look at a smaller suit, which was missing some buttons and accessories, “my brother has a very special day coming up, shortie, and if he doesn’t have his suit ready, I’m sure you’ll be getting fired. We’ll keep the clothes, though.” 

“I thought you were here to comfort me, not kill my self-esteem.”  
Mikasa let out a full laugh, and then returned to her monotone, mocking voice. “I did come here to give you some advice, but not to pat your head and hold you while you cry. Eren gets that treatment, not you.” She searched Levi’s eyes to find a flame of jealousy, but decided against making it grow.  
The ravennette walked towards a window, and stared at the collection of willows that made patches of sunlight dance on the dark red carpet. “Eren won’t have time for you once he leaves.”  


“And you think I don’t know that? I told him to not get involved with me for just that reason! It’s the best for him.” 

“So you’re smart... that’s good. Eren needs someone like that.” She twirled around and steadily paced towards the exit of the room, which made Levi notice her dress. It was a slender black dress with a red bottom that turned up while she walked, showing bright flashes of blood-red fabric to Levi. As she stepped out of the doorway, she paused for a moment.  
“If you keep courting Eren, I might kill you. Know that it’s against our society and lifestyle. I think you’re a good person, though, so you’ll stay out of it. You certainly can think for yourself, I hope. Eren doesn’t like idiots- he adores those who know what they’re doing,” turning her head and locking her eyes with Levi, the ravenette whispered, “But I also think Eren fancies a man who can stop your heart with his eyes.”  


She left as suddenly she had appeared, but her footsteps still resonated through the hallway outside the room. 

Levi took one look at his new dress, and backed up against a wall. Slowly, he slid down it, and placed his head onto his open palms.  
The raven wanted to say something to break the silence in the tailoring room, but most of the thoughts in his head were unorganized. Only one was whole, and it wasn’t even a full sentence. 

“Eren, I wish I could-” 

But there was nothing to tell Eren. He just had to wait until the man showed up so he could wish for something to do. 

“I wish I could help you…”

*****

Now what was he supposed to do? 

Walking into his room, Eren ran his fingers through his chocolate hair was he fell onto his bed.  
The ceiling was plain with no designs, unlike the rest of the house. There was nothing for the brunette to stare at as he lay on his bed and thought. 

It was quiet. Nothing was moving except the smell of food, and the occasional footsteps of his father or Mikasa.  
Eren decided to close his eyes for a bit and escape. In the dark, he could go away and explore different things. 

But the only thought that came to his mind was Levi’s perfect face. 

The brunette groaned as he placed his hands up to his eyes, rubbing them until colored patterns swam around in his vision. Eren was barely aware of the steps coming towards his room, and guessed that it was Mikasa. He sat up to greet his sister, but almost tipped over to the side while trying to sit up straight. He was slightly dizzy, but managed to almost look normal just as Mikasa walked into the room. 

“So, I heard your fiance down there talking about how he’s a useless piece of shit and that he wants you back.” Mikasa closed the large doors to their room and was leaning against them, an amused look resting in her eyes. 

“He’s not useless…” Eren mumbled to himself, “and Levi is not my fiance. We’re not a couple, Mikasa, you know that’s against everything we stand for!” A small blaze appeared in Eren’s eyes as he focused on Mikasa, now talking directly to her, “But he’s so stubborn! Levi didn’t let me promote his business. Did you know he’s an artist? He could make shitloads of money by selling his work!” 

“Slow down, Eren!” the ravenette grinned while rocking back and forth against a dresser and the wall, as if bored. “You’re going away for five years. Do you think you’d be able to do that while you’re not able to talk to Levi?” 

“No… but I could probably find a way to.” Mikasa was getting frustrating again. She was so much like Levi, it was scary. The man had a better filter than his sister, though, and gave off a more sophisticated aura. Mikasa also knew how to get Eren thinking and regretting his decisions. Couldn’t she do this before he made a terrible mistake in life? 

“You won’t be able to start working until you finish school. Someone of your position should know that. I know you’re pretty thickheaded, but you should really pay more attention to the world.” Oh god. If Mikasa was going to give another lecture… 

“Was Levi crying?” 

That gave Eren some time to think as Mikasa thought about the answer.  
“He was only tearing up. Did you kick him or something?” 

“No. I told him that I wanted to… uh-” Eren hesitated telling Mikasa about the emotions between him and Levi, “I wanted to be around him more.”  
“That’s it?” Mikasa let out a laugh. “Levi’s that sensitive, then! How nice.” The ravenette took a couple of steps towards Eren, stooping over him as he sat on his bed. 

“Don’t rush into things. You’ll be able to get as many clients as you want once you finish your education. You’ll be able to talk to Levi again once he’s ready, and when you guys find ways to argue that don’t have such plain, boring endings like today. I like watching arguments; give me some entertainment, Eren!” Giving him a coy smile and a wink, Mikasa walked towards the door, fixing a hairbrush lying on her dresser along the way. As she disappeared, the sound of her shoes echoed through the upper floor of the house. 

Eren let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding. Tired from thinking, the brunette let himself go and fell back onto the bed again, and tried closing his eyes for the second time. 

Now, only a shining, metallic grey flowed through the entirety of Eren’s mind’s eye. He enjoyed seeing nothing but a calming shade of silver, but something about the color put him off. It was strangely familiar and unnerving, digging into his soul and observing everything he thought about. 

As Eren lost his focus on the image and drifted away to a different realm, a sudden jolt of realization coursed through him.  
It was a silver eye that watched over his every move, filled with past troubles and a yearning for something that Eren couldn’t bring to mind. 

Why couldn’t Levi just let him rest for a minute?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I will continue to update once a week, and (hopefully) not bring this fic down into too much of a downward spiral. With some time, though, I will try. We will get to our precious side characters and happy scenes soon. Thank you for reading, and leave a kudos if you liked it!


	10. Don't Take Him

Another day, and another new start. 

It’s too bad memories don’t get erased, though. That would help him a lot right now. 

Levi was once again sitting in the tailoring room. He’d left the mansion later yesterday, with all of his work complete. Carla’s dress was finished, too, and had been approved by Mikasa right before he left. 

Levi didn’t want his and Eren’s feelings to get in the way of their lives. They had work and school… those were their priorities now. No relationship could get in the way of his future- if he even had one. 

Levi sighed. The raven knew he had given up an amazing opportunity that would let him make a shit ton of money, but Eren had to finish his education. Eren’s education was important. 

Eren was important. 

But Eren was young and impulsive. Levi skimmed through all of the sad truths that had come to his mind during the night- he and Eren had only just gotten to know each other very well, and they were both facing huge losses. Maybe they were just looking to each other for comfort? Being motherless does change someone quite deeply- he was probably just using Eren as a source of comfort. 

Of course, there was always the option that they just fell in love very quickly. 

He dismissed the thought. Levi raised his hand and ran a finger through his hair, taking note of the greasy texture of the raven strands. He hadn’t washed it in a while, and the greasiness was barely noticeable, but Levi hated the feeling of unclean hair. 

The raven directed his mind away from the poor state he was in, and took up focusing on what he had to do today. Glancing around the room, Levi noticed a flash of light land on something in a corner of the room. The flash came from behind his work-desk, which was plastered with clothing design plans. All of them were neatly stacked on top of each other, but Levi knew they’d get disorganized very soon. 

Intrigued, the raven padded towards the flashes. Nearing his desk, Levi bent down to pick up the flashing object. In his hand was the small, sepia-tinted picture of him and his mother. 

Holding it tightly, Levi squeezed into the space between the dresser and the wall, lifting his satchel up from the floor. There was nothing unusual about it, much to the raven’s surprise. It was just shoved into a corner; that could’ve happened from a small push off the desk or something minor like that. Even if it probably wasn’t something to be concerned about, Levi was still worried. He’d left the bag there for about two days, and someone could have robbed him. Panicked, Levi dug his hand into the satchel. He found the pocket that always rattled with spare change, and slipped a pair of fingers into the pocket to search for coins. 

Feeling the circular metal objects, he let out a sigh of relief. Even if he didn’t have much money, some change went a long way in Sina. Nobody had robbed him yet, and there was still the rest of the day left to finish his work and leave the mansion. Becoming aware of his surroundings again, Levi lifted his free hand to look at the picture of his mother. 

Her pale, thin face was still beautiful in the photograph. She looked much healthier than when she was sick; the sight of his mother in this state made Levi hopeful that she was still alive. The image almost seemed to be moving, and his mother could be breathing again. 

Crying babies were very annoying, though. Levi was thankful for a second that the picture wasn’t actually moving- having to see himself as an infant would be extremely uncomfortable. Even if it was just himself, Levi hated the idea that he was once so dependent on someone for everything. Once he’d grown, Levi only relied on his mother for some comfort. He could get his own food, make his own clothing… Levi had everything he needed to survive. The on,y things he did as a baby were eating, sleeping, and being a nuisance to his mother. 

If only the child in the picture knew about his mother. Then he wouldn’t be so annoying to her. 

Sighing, Levi returned his focus back to the main reason he had picked it up. The photograph reminded him of the dress he made for the Mistress. It was standing at the doorway, casting a shadow into the hallway. Levi walked up to it and placed his hand onto the velveteen dress. 

He had to get it to Mistress Carla before Eren left… and before she died. Levi had heard Mikasa saying that Carla wouldn’t die, but he wasn’t so sure of that after she came to the tailoring room yesterday to tell him he made the dress for no reason. 

He could… tell Grisha he made a new dress for the Mistress. That would require explaining the whole situation, though, and Levi would risk getting scolded for not doing the work that was assigned to him. He could also tell Mikasa to take it up to Mistress Carla. She might be reluctant to do it, but at least she liked the dress. That option would be more in his favour. 

Of course, Levi could always go and tell Eren to give the dress to his mother. That seemed like a very good idea to Levi. 

***** 

Eren was definitely not a morning person. 

A ray of sunlight intruded upon his face as he stared at the ceiling from his bed. The brunette blinked, and turned over again, facing an empty wall of his room. Today was the last day he’d be able to wake up in his own bed for a while. He might as well enjoy it while it lasted. With a sigh, Eren closed his eyes again. He knew he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep, but this would protect him from the outside world- and Mikasa’s wake up calls- for a bit longer. 

Just as Eren was beginning to drift away, the door slammed open from the push of a superhuman ravenette. 

“If I have to tell you to get up one more time, Eren, then I’ll get Father over here.”  
“Calm down, Mikasa. This is just your second attempt at waking me up,” mumbled the brunette.  
Mikasa waited at the door some more, tapping her foot. She knew Eren hated it when she did that.  
Groaning, the young man sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Can you go now? I have to get ready.”  
“I’m not leaving until you have some nice clothes on. You can’t go to the Academy with your pyjamas on.”  
“Don’t tell me you’re going to stand here and watch me get dressed.” Eren fidgeted around on his bed, scanning the room for something lying around that looked presentable.  
“You’re lucky I’m your sister, or I’d have second thoughts about leaving the room while you’re putting on clothes. I’ll just stand outside the door. Then I’ll be able to know when you’ll walk out of here.” Then, she walked outside the room, and closed the door.  


Mikasa sure liked knowing his every move. Eren couldn’t argue with her, though. He’d supervise his sister 24/7 if she was escaping the house at random times and hooked up with the servants. 

The scan from before proved helpful to Eren. He had a basic idea of what to wear today! He’d seen a nice dress shirt and sack suit scrunched up in the corner of his room. He would be able to find a clean pair of pants in no time. Eren was quite pleased with himself- everything was actually organized today! Eren launched himself off of the bed, landing on the carpeted floor with a thud that was louder than the brunette had expected.  


“Don’t tell me you broke your neck, Eren!”  
“Calm the fuck down, Mika! I’m not dying every time I make a noise!”  
“I’m just making sure.”  


She “made sure” a lot. To most people, she was just a paranoid person who checked things for no obvious reason. To Eren, the ravenette was just an overprotective sister who hugged him too much for comfort and wanted to be sure that he was safe. 

To be honest, Mikasa was very sweet most of the time. Only to him, though. Mother and Father endured her cold manner of speech and logical approach to almost everything- except Eren’s safety. His sister would do anything to keep him from getting a scratch or getting bullied. It was amazing that she herself wasn’t being ridiculed for her protective behaviour. Eren appreciated Mikasa’s worrying- he really did- but it was too much sometimes. Still, it was good to have a sister who cared for him. 

Eren went and picked up the dress shirt and sack suit he’d seen in the corner of his room and laid it down on his bed, smoothing it out. It was a bit wrinkled, but that wouldn’t be visible under his suit. These clothes had only been worn once, and luckily, didn’t smell. Mikasa would be screaming her head off at him if he walked out of his room smelling like a filthy dishrag. The brunette picked up the dress shirt on his bed, slipped his arms through the firm sleeves, buttoned it, and popped up the club-collar on the shirt. Eren took more time putting on his slack suit, stretching and smoothing out the bottom so that it reached down to the middle of his thighs. 

Now Eren had to find a pair of pants that matched his striped black suit. He opened a drawer in the dresser by his bed, and shuffled around in the pants there. A gray stripe on black fabric met his eye, and the brunette lifted the pair of pants up. To his satisfaction, it was the perfect match for his suit. He slipped on the pair and went to look at himself. There was a mirror by the door out where Eren would always double-check what he was wearing. Today, he had to be very careful not to have messed up his attire. Going to a wealthy private school was quite a big deal, and he had to make the best impression on the people there. His father didn’t have the best reputation around Shiganshina, and Eren wanted to have a clean slate once he went to Legion Private School. 

Eren searched for wrinkles or imperfections in his suit, but found none. But something else caught his eye. He was missing a tie! 

The brunette scrambled around his room, digging through dressers and small piles of clothes strewn around the room. Finally, after shuffling through ties of all different colors, Eren found a nice black bow tie. He let out a sigh of relief and placed himself back in front of the mirror. 

His large hands fiddled with the slots and ribbon he needed to put together, even though the bow was pre-tied. He’d always had trouble tying his bows and accessories, even as a child. Eren never really bothered to think about why this was, but his parents always blamed his clumsiness on his impulsive and energetic personality. Eren absolutely hated being called impulsive- he actually thought most of his actions through. He was just… aggressive. He loved competitive sports and the feeling of winning, but he had trouble understanding some of the others around him. 

Dr. Arlert’s grandson, Armin, was one of Eren’s close friends. He, Eren and Mikasa always met up with each other whenever Dr. Arlert came in to check on his family. Sometimes, Eren invited Armin and Mikasa to play games with him, such as hockey and rugby. They agreed, of course, but it turned out that they were all terrible team players. Mikasa kept leaving him and Armin out of the game, and Armin wouldn’t even try to score. Eren easily got frustrated in this situation, and ended up falling into a rage that ruined the game. 

Eren still didn’t consider himself to be a leader or a team player, but he knew that he was strong when he wanted to be. 

After struggling for an embarrassing amount of time with his bow tie, Eren managed to put it on. The ribbon was a bit twisted, but it looked good if he covered it with his raised collar. Everything was in the right place. His bow and suit were neatly on, and complimented his built yet graceful figure. Eren grabbed a comb and vigorously ran it through his hair to straighten it out, took one more look in the mirror, and opened the door. Mikasa was still there, of course, waiting for him. She looked him over and nodded.  


‘’You don’t look like a sewer rat today, brother!’’  
‘’Well, I want to impress some of those private school snobs.’’  
‘’At least those ‘private school snobs’ know how to put on their bow ties correctly.’’  
‘’Oh well. This is the best I can do.’’  
‘’If that’s the best you can do, then you won’t get anywhere in life.’’ Mikasa smirked, ‘’now let’s go eat. You can’t be sitting in class starving while everyone else is learning.’’ She grabbed Eren’s hand and pulled him down the stairs. After being dragged down and bumped in the hip way too many timed by the marble railing, Mikasa stopped running.  
“What are you waiting for? You can’t be a paperweight all day!’’  
Eren smiled and fixed his posture. He shook off his sister’s hand and began walking behind her, ready to start his first day of private schooling with a smile on his face.  


***** 

Beads of sweat ran down Levi’s face and settled on his furrowed brows. He was strained and grunting, but still moving at a rhythmic pace. Levi focused on not falling yet, and pushed himself to keep going. It was already this good, and he had to finish. He thrusted forward one more time and let his knees buckle as he fell to the floor, panting. 

A dress on a stand was much heavier than Levi had expected it to be. 

He had his arms cradled around the waist of the dress, and was now lying on top of it. Levi was surprised that it hadn’t fallen out of his arms when he fell. The raven stood up and inspected it to make sure it wasn’t torn. Then, he lifted the velvety fabric up again, this time grabbing the stand by the top and the torso. Levi moved forward successfully, with the stand firmly in his grasp. Now all he had to do was find Eren. 

Where could Eren be? There was no more commotion in the kitchen, the bedrooms upstairs had been cleaned by the servants, and the dining room had just recently been left by the family. Levi had been so focused on moving the dress that he hadn’t paid attention to where they all went… 

Well, this was frustrating. 

Levi didn’t want to set down the dress, but there was no point in carrying on. If he couldn’t find Eren, then the dress wouldn’t get to the Mistress. Levi knew that he could go to Mistress Carla and deliver the dress to her, but that was going against the rules of the mansion. He wasn’t allowed on the upper floor of the property, and much less the bedrooms. The raven could only take a guess at where the Mistress’s bedroom was, and he didn’t want to risk going into the wrong room. That would be a horrible disaster. He decided to continue searching for the brunette. Visiting Mistress Carla was out of the question, so getting to Eren was what he had to do. 

And what he wanted to do. 

Levi decided to go outside and think for a while. Surely, doing that would help him clear his head and feel better about the situation. He exited the hallway with the tailoring room and went into the entryway. The room was newly cleaned, and the staircases were as grand as they were on the day of his first visit with his mother. Levi extended a hand to open the huge doors to the outside, being careful not to let go of the Mistress’s dress. A warm ray of sunlight greeted him, but blinded him for a moment. 

When Levi regained his sight, he could see the faint outline of a human. It was incredibly dark, and contrasted with the bright light that surrounded the scene. Levi’s eyes focused better after he blinked some more. Now, he could see a mass of chocolate hair and a well-defined body in a suit. With some more analysing, or staring, Levi knew that he was looking at Eren. 

The only thought that ran through his head was, ‘’that suit makes him so fucking handsome.’’ 

But Eren was getting into an elegant carriage. Without Levi by his side. 

“Eren!’’ Levi cried out with all of his desperation and will to keep Eren with him. The panic-stricken tone registered with Eren as he was making himself comfortable in his seat. The brunette turned around and looked through the back of the carriage to see Levi on the steps of his mansion holding a beautiful dress. 

‘’Eren!’’ Once again, Levi called out. But this time Eren replied. 

It was only his own name, but Levi felt everything that had been put into Eren’s shocked, muffled cry. He felt the regret and sadness the brunette had faced during their argument. He felt the anger and aggressiveness of Eren’s character that Levi had barely gotten to know. 

But now he’d never get the chance to apologize. 

The brunette pressed his hand against the glass window at the back of the carriage, reaching out to the raven that stood on the steps of his home. Levi also extended his arm to try and catch the man that was now going away, far out of his reach. 

Eren kept his hand there until Levi disappeared behind the hill that led away from the mansion. But Levi stood on the steps for a while longer, feeling the wind blow through his fingers. Just like Eren had. 

Levi was left gasping for air as he choked back tears. Eren was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it anymore. 

Mistress Carla was going to have to put up with a new face in her room today with a special delivery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp  
> It's been three long weeks and I'm leaving y'all with something you probably don't deserve. But it will be better, my friends. It will all get better.  
> I hope.


End file.
